Compliance Management, Privacy

WhatsApp begins rolling out end-to-end encryption

WhatsApp announced on Tuesday that its most recent Android update comes with built-in encryption protocol, and in the coming months, all the messaging app's users will have end-to-end encryption enabled.

WhatsApp teamed up with Open Whisper Systems to begin integrating the non-profit's TextSecure software into its various platforms. The group began with the Android client and will now start making its way through every WhatsApp mobile platform. Ultimately, all users will be automatically opted into end-to-end encryption.

Although some encryption capabilities have already been rolled out on the Android app, the update doesn't yet encrypt group chat or media messages.

Whisper Systems wrote on its post about the collaboration that it believes this endeavor, “represents the largest deployment of end-to-end encrypted communication in history.”

This news follows both Google and Apple's decision to automatically enable encryption on their new phone operating systems.

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