Today, WhatsApp has begun rolling out end-to-end encryption for all forms of communication that occur on its platform.
Prior to this update, WhatsApp has applied end-to-end encryption for text messages on Android back in November 2014. This update would cause all forms of communication on WhatsApp to be completely encrypted and accessible only to the intended recepient. This means that every photo, video, voice message, and even calls are encrypted. Regardless of whether or not you’re on iOS, Android or Windows 10 Mobile, WhatsApp will be encrypting all communications be default from this point forwards.
The company responsible for working on the encryption for WhatsApp is Open Whisper Systems. The company has been working with WhatsApp over the past year to implement a full-coverage encryption system and the fruits of their labour has gone live today.
With encryption now being standard on WhatsApp, it’ll be interesting to see how the U.S. government, more specifically the FBI, will react to this news. As of the time of writing, the FBI has yet to comment on the matter.
Source: WhatsApp Blog, Wired