What is end-to-end encryption in WhatsApp
On April 5, 2016 WhatsApp started end-to-end encryption. This is 256 bit encryption. With this encryption, WhatsApp became a very safe social application. It means your messages and Status updates, photos and videos, documents, calls are secured from Cyber-Criminals and others Even WhatsApp can’t read your messages.
It’s like face-to-face conversation because in end-to-end encryption, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to.
The end-to-end encryption is designed by OWS. OWS (Open whisper systems) is a software organization that was founded by Moxie Marlinspike in 2013. Its main focus is the development of the signal protocol. This maintains an encrypted communication application called signal.
On November 18, 2014 OWS announced a partnership with WhatsApp to provide end-to-end encryption. After 2 years on April 5, 2016, WhatsApp announced that they had finished to adding end-to-end encryption to every way of communication on whatsaap.
The WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum given update on his Facebook page.
Koum wrote “we were working adding this encryption on WhatsApp on last two years, to give better security over their conversations on WhatsApp. People deserve security. It makes it possible for us to connect with our loved ones. It gives us the confidence to speak our minds. It allows us to communicate sensitive information with colleagues, friends, and others. We’re glad to do our part in keeping people’s information out of the hands of the hackers and cyber-criminals.”
How end-to-end encryption works:-
Whtasapp is using the signal protocol. This protocol is designed by OWS. When you send a message to friend and others on WhatsApp, your app encodes message, it using a special key that can only be unlocked by the recipient. The actual process of encrypting the message is a complicated series of digital handshakes. A fresh set of keys and locks is produced whenever two phones communicate, making the process safe each time.
In its White Paper, explaining the technical details of the end-to-end encryption, It says that “once the session is established, clients do not need to rebuild a new session with each other until the existing session state is lost through an external event such as an app reinstall or device change.
Some application who using encryption:-
End-to-end encryption only is used by WhatsApp, Facebook Messaging and Google’s Allo offering end-to-end encryption but not as default. Snapchat is not using end-to-end encryption because messages are deleted from servers when they are opened by recipients.
So guys you are safe with WhatsApp.
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