WhatsApp unveils end-to-end encryption for Android devices
Encryption is an important element in all technology software and hardware. WhatsApp, the wildly popular messaging app, has partnered with the crypto gurus at Open WhisperSystems to implement strong end-to-end encryption on all WhatsApp text messages.
"End-to-end" means that, unlike messages encrypted by Gmail or Facebook Chat, WhatsApp won't be able to decrypt the messages itself, even if the company is compelled by law enforcement.
The messages are now secured with Open Whisper System's encryption protocol, the same one used for its own secure app TextSecure. This feature is however only available on Android. The encryption is in by default, meaning users don't have to do anything to turn it on. By all accounts, WhatsApp acts and looks just the same.
"WhatsApp runs on an incredible number of mobile platforms, so full deployment will be an incremental process as we add TextSecure protocol support into each WhatsApp client platform. We have a ways to go until all mobile platforms are fully supported, but we are moving quickly towards a world where all WhatsApp users will get end-to-end encryption by default," wrote Open Whisper Systems in the blog post.
Open WhisperSystems is a company built from open source contributors and a dedicated team to advance "state of the the art" secure communication, according to their website.
Until now, they've mainly done this through secure texting apps for Android and iPhone such as RedPhone and TextSecure.
WhisperSystems says that it will take some time to bring its end-to-end encryption to all possible mobile platforms, but Android will be first in line.
