WhatsApp launches end-to-end encryption for cloud backups

WhatsApp has rolled out its end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for chat backups, which greatly improves the privacy and the security of your data.  

With E2EE enabled for your backups, neither WhatsApp nor Google or Apple will be able to access your data and encryption keys. 

The feature works by locking your data behind a wall protected by a 64-digit encryption key or personal password – which the user will need to enter whenever they want access to their own backups.  

The hardware security module (HSM) backup key vault, that allows for this layer of protection, is responsible for running verifications; and locking out threats when there are too many unsuccessful attempts to access said data. 

To ensure that this service is always available even during a data center outage, WhatsApp confirms that the HSM backup key vault service will be geographically distributed across multiple data centers. 

The E2EE backup service will be coming to iOS and Android devices in the coming weeks.