Here's what you need to know about end-to-end encryption on Messenger.
End-to-end encrypted messages and calls can only be seen by the sender and the recipient - not even by Meta.
As digital communication becomes increasingly prevalent, the need for secure messaging platforms has never been more critical. One of the key technologies ensuring privacy and security in messaging apps is end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Here's an overview of what E2EE is, how it works, and its implications for your Messenger chats.
Since December, Meta has been rolling out default E2EE for personal messages on Messenger, enhancing the security and privacy of user communications. All personal messages in one-on-one chats will be end-to-end encrypted by default, ensuring continuous protection of your conversations.
End-to-end encryption is a security feature that ensures only the communicating users can read the messages. In E2EE, the message is encrypted on the sender's device and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient's device. This process protects the content of your messages and calls from being accessed by anyone else, including the service provider, in this case, Meta (formerly Facebook).
Every device in an E2EE conversation has a unique key. When you send a message, your device encrypts it using a key that can only be decrypted by the recipient's device. Here's a simplified breakdown of the process: message encryption occurs when you send a message, your device locks (encrypts) it using a unique encryption key. The encrypted message travels through the server, but it remains encrypted and unreadable to anyone intercepting it. Upon reaching the recipient's device, the message is unlocked (decrypted) with a key unique to that device. These keys are stored only on the users' devices, ensuring that the messages remain private and secure. Meta, the company behind Messenger, does not have access to these keys, meaning they cannot read your messages even if they wanted to.
To ensure your conversation is secure, Messenger allows you to verify that the encryption keys on your device match those on your contact's device. This can be done through the Messenger app or on Portal devices. If the keys match, it confirms that the conversation is indeed protected by E2EE.
When using Messenger on a web browser, encrypted messages are stored in the browser's storage. If you clear your browser cookies or use private mode, these messages may be deleted, and you might not see them in your Messenger chat on that browser. To access these messages, you should use the Messenger mobile app.
While E2EE provides robust security, there are some aspects to keep in mind. You cannot report video or audio calls in E2EE conversations on Messenger or Facebook chat. If someone shares your encrypted message, the recipient will be able to see its contents. Customizations such as nicknames, chat themes, and reactions are not protected by E2EE. If a conversation was not originally encrypted, any interactions with messages sent before the encryption upgrade won't be encrypted either. Features like Play Together or Watch Together, while secure from eavesdropping, may still communicate certain actions to third-party servers necessary for functionality.
