Facebook recently revealed that it has rolled out end-to-end encryption to a very small number of Messenger users. According to Tony Leach, product manager for Facebook Messenger, the encryption feature would be rolled out all over the world so that users can freely have any kind of conversation they’d like to via the app, without fear of such information being accessed by a third party.
You would recall that this same feature was added to Whatsapp this April. However, unlike with Whatsapp, where end-to-end encryption was turned on by default, Facebook says that Messenger users would have to select a ‘Secret conversations Mode’ in order to turn on encryption.
In addition, Messenger users will also be able to set a timer on such ‘secret conversations’ so that the messages disappear at the specified time, AFTER the messages recipient has read them.’
If end-to-end encryption ensures that every person other than the intended recipient of my message cannot view or listen to my messages or calls, or pictures or anything at all I send or receive via the app, why then doesn’t Facebook make it the default setting just like it did with Whatsapp?
Leah says making the ‘secret conversation mode’ the default mode for Messenger is difficult because that would mean we all could only access Messenger through ONLY ONE device. And since a the app is ‘widely used via browsers on personal computers, as well as on smartphones’ doing so would be limiting users from using Messenger everywhere like they’re used to.
What do you think about adding end-to-end encryption to Facebook Messenger? Is it a good or bad idea or is this feature getting to Messenger too late already?