Meta to automatically encrypt all calls, messages on Facebook Messenger

Meta is rolling out default end-to-end encryption for all calls and messages on Facebook Messenger, the company announced on Wednesday.

While users have had the option to turn on end-to-end encryption since 2016, the feature will now automatically apply to all private chats and calls, Loredana Crisan, the head of Messenger, said in a blog post.

“This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right,” Crisan said. “Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up.”

With end-to-end encryption, data can only be decrypted by its intended recipient, meaning it cannot be read or modified by any intervening individual or entity.

“The extra layer of security provided by end-to-end encryption means that the content of your messages and calls with friends and family are protected from the moment they leave your device to the moment they reach the receiver’s device,” Crisan said. 

“This means that nobody, including Meta, can see what’s sent or said, unless you choose to report a message to us,” she added.

It will take several months for Meta to complete the global rollout of default end-to-end encryption, according to Wednesday's blog post.

However, the tech giant is also releasing several other new features for Messenger that will be available immediately, including the ability to edit messages, send disappearing messages and control whether others can see when a message has been read. 

Photos, videos and voice messaging will also receive upgrades, as part of what Crisan described as the “biggest set of improvements to Messenger since it was first launched in 2011.”