WhatsApp End-To-End Encryption Thumbs Nose At The Government's Attempted Invasion Of Privacy
When Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA's comprehensive spying efforts a few years ago, some might have thought that the agency (along with others) would cool their jets. After all, they were caught red-handed prying into our lives without our knowledge. As recent months have shown, however, the government, and especially the FBI, has no qualm about prying into our mobile devices if the desire is there. The FBI apparently even found a way into iPhones without Apple's help (which Apple has chosen to ignore).
Fortunately for us, many software solution providers are capitalizing on consumer desire for privacy and the government's desire to get rid of it. One great example is Facebook-owned WhatsApp, an instant messenger. Earlier this month, it was announced that WhatsApp would gain end-to-end encryption for every single possible type of communication the software allows, and right now, it's go time.
WhatsApp notes that if you and a partner have an up-to-date version of WhatsApp, absolutely anything you say or send to each other is going to be encrypted. That even includes group calls. In effect, this means that absolutely no one will be able to see your conversation - unless some fault is discovered, of course.
WhatsApp sells its end-to-end encryption quite well on its blog, stating, "No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us."
If you're interested in giving WhatsApp a try given this latest move, bear in mind that it's a very mobile-focused application. While you can chat through it on your desktop, it requires a WhatsApp connection on your phone to work. While that might seem like an unfortunate caveat, the fact that WhatsApp is cost-free might help negate that side-effect somewhat.
