WhatsApp is changing the display to include a mention of end-to-end encryption by default – which has been in place since 2016 on messaging. With interoperability, which will authorize discussions with other applications, WhatsApp wants to remind you which chats are secure.
All conversations in WhatsApp have been end-to-end encrypted by default since 2016, with a cryptographic protocol with an excellent reputation. This offers the general public an excellent level of protection, while maintaining messaging accessibility. It remains very simple to use and there is nothing special to configure.
But, with the entry into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) on March 7, 2024, WhatsApp must open its mobile application to discussions from third-party messaging services – this could be chats with people who are on Messenger, Telegram, iMessage, Snapchat, Instagram, Skype or Discord.
WhatsApp is considered by the European Union as a “gatekeeper” due to its immense weight. There are 2 billion members worldwide and, above all, tens of millions in Europe. Given this status, WhatsApp must therefore submit to specific rules, believes Brussels.
Work in this direction has been carried out since this fall: changes were noticed after analyzing a beta version of the application. Then, on March 6, WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, which also controls Facebook, Messenger, Threads and Instagram, confirmed that it had launched work to enable interoperability with third-party services.
WhatsApp prepares to welcome more chats with end-to-end encryption
In a technical article, Meta explains how this interoperability with other platforms is organized, and how end-to-end encryption remains, “ wherever possible. » But the company also envisages cases where the protocol it uses – called Signal – is not taken up by others.
Could this undermine end-to-end encryption? Signal « represents the current gold standard for end-to-end encrypted chats », Informs the American company. This is what Meta uses to integrate it into Messenger by default. It is also found in other applications, such as Skype or Google Messages.
“ We would prefer that third-party providers use the Signal protocol. However, because this protocol needs to work for everyone, we will allow third-party providers to use a compatible protocol if they can demonstrate that it offers the same security guarantees as Signal », develops Meta.
It is in this context that a WhatsApp update arrives. Objective: indicate more explicitly the chats that are end-to-end encrypted on the app – and, therefore, implicitly, any chats that are not. This was noted by the WABetaInfo site on March 9. He spotted a new “end-to-end encrypted” indicator at the top of chats.
This indicator will make it possible to more clearly distinguish how secure chats are — assuming that such an indication is clear to all audiences, including the less tech-savvy. For the main third-party services that will connect to WhatsApp, we can bet that there will be no problem. The question will arise more for others.
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