It’s about a small lock icon that will appear under the chat name. Its presence will be a signal that our conversation is secured with end-to-end encryption.
This change appeared in the first people in January. Now, with the release of beta version 2.24.6.11, it will reach a wider range of users. It is worth noting that we are talking about the release of WhatsApp for Android smartphones. For the iPhone version, the feature is not available yet.
WABetaInfo photo: WABetaInfo
A small but important change
This seemingly only cosmetic change is important for at least two reasons. Firstly, thanks to it, users will be sure that the conversation they are having is fully encrypted, and therefore its content will not leak out of the messenger.
Advanced encryption works like an unbreakable digital lock that secures the information you send on WhatsApp, protecting you from hackers and criminals. Messages are stored only on your phone and no intermediary, not even us, can read your messages or listen to your conversations. Your private conversations remain between you
– explains Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, in a statement.
The second reason is related to the EU Digital Market Act (DMA) regulations, which entered into force last week. They impose a number of new obligations on the largest technology concerns. At this point, six companies are covered by DMA regulations – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, ByteDance and Apple.
One of such obligations is to ensure the so-called interoperability. In the case of WhatsApp (but also e.g. Messenger, which also belongs to the Meta group), it is about the possibility of exchanging messages with users of external messengers.
Therefore, it is even more important that WhatsApp users receive clear information whether and how their conversations are encrypted. Importantly, Mark Zuckerberg’s company announced that third-party messengers will have to offer E2EE encryption to join the WhatsApp and Messenger “ecosystem”. However, they will not be obliged to use the Signal protocol, which is used for these two applications.
To maximize user security, we would prefer that third-party providers use the Signal protocol. However, since it must work for everyone, we will allow third-party providers to use a compatible protocol if they can demonstrate that it offers the same security guarantees as Signal
– explains Meta.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
