Whatsapp Encryption

Whatsapp Encryption has never been available to so many people before

 

 The tech firms too have a reason for option for top-end encryption. Most believe that leaving a key, any key for anyone, will only make the entire network vulnerable to attack.

It couldn’t have come at a more poignant time. For Whatsapp to turn on end-to-end encryption just a week after FBI got into the iPhone Apple refused to unlock, was almost like sending a message that was hard to ignore.

Before you think what is the big deal, just understand the fact that a billion people now have access to encrypted messaging thanks to Whatsapp. Though it has been there in many forms and degrees for many years, encryption have never been this big.

There are a lot of positives to this. As Whatsapp says: “The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.” Now, add to this the fact that the encryption also covers every voice call, message, photo, video, file and voice message sent using the app.

Never before has encryption been available to the common man, at this scale. In a way you can now have all your communication — with a single contact or with a group — protected by the most dependable 256-bit encryption — the AES256 algorithm is accepted by the US and Canadian governments as standards for encrypting transited data and data at rest.

However, this is not going to go down well with a lot of governments, especially those who are on the forefront of fighting terror. For them it is a problem if the world’s most popular messaging network goes encrypted. Not that it was easy tapping into any of these networks, but now largest of these doesn’t even leave them an option to. It remains to be seen how governments react. But you can expect at least some countries to be harsh in their reaction.

The tech firms too have a reason for option for top-end encryption. Most believe that leaving a key, any key for anyone, will only make the entire network vulnerable to attack. So they prefer locking all doors and throwing the key in the ocean.