Mark Zuckerberg promised to add them in 2016 but until now it was necessary to activate them manually.
There are features that are long in coming, and end-to-end encrypted messages by default in Messenger, Meta’s instant messaging application, is undoubtedly one of them. Mark Zuckerberg promised it in 2016, when the company was still called Facebook, but he half fulfilled it. Although it was possible to encrypt messages, the feature had to be enabled manually and not all features were supported.
Now, at last, it can be said that Zuckerberg has delivered. From today, messages and calls made in Messenger are encrypted by default. Since Messenger is also now Instagram’s messaging system, the same functionality comes to this platform.
Encryption is also active in calls and since it is end-to-end, Meta has no possibility of accessing the content, even if its servers are used.
Active conversations will gradually transition to the new encrypted system without users having to make any changes, although messages already sent do not have this encryption system, which is common in other messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp or iMessage.
The default encryption feature, in any case, only affects messages between individuals. To encrypt group communications, it is necessary to activate the option manually. It is not a complicated process but it requires activating the option at the time of group creation, something that few do. Meta has confirmed that in the future it will also add default encryption to group messages.
In addition to the new encryption, the company has added the option to edit an already sent message within 15 minutes after sending. The recipient, however, will be able to see both the original message and the modified version.
