From the Facebook group a good news and another bad one, both related to encrypted messages in Messenger and Instagram chats.
To be able to use secure messages, thanks to the "end-to-end" encryption (here an in-depth study on how it works), on the instant messaging services of the Facebook group, namely Messenger, and Instagram Direct (WhatsApp, however, this type of encryption already has it) will still have to wait. Despite the fact that by now the process has been under development for several years, Mark Zuckerberg's platform has confirmed that the implementation will not be complete at least until next year.
As stated by Facebook, the end-to-end encryption process was started as far back as 2016 even though it can currently only be used in the "Secret Conversation" mode, which, in fact, however, limits the functionality of the platform's chat. Nothing instead to do for Instagram, which, to date, still does not present any such functionality, as seen even in conversations via desktop client. In 2019, however, the social network had introduced the possibility of including the system of secure conversations on Messenger, Instagram and even WhatsApp but, according to what was communicated only a few days ago, the process may be longer than expected.
Encrypted messages, the announcement
The announcement by Facebook came within a post published on the official blog of the social network dedicated to the future of private messages.
In the content, the team announced its progress in terms of integration of encryption methods within the messaging systems, emphasizing the complexity of the project and providing a rough date on the timing for the conclusion of the work, scheduled for 2022.
Furthermore, in the same content, Facebook referred to the features already introduced and ready to interact with the end-to-end encryption that will become part of the platform during the course of next year. Small steps toward a future under the banner of communications in total privacy.
Encrypted Messages, the repercussions of delays
It's not unusual, however, to think that the implementation of secure messages in Facebook's private conversations is taking an unusual amount of time. As complex as it may be to put in place the infrastructure necessary to manage such processes, it's undeniable that Zuckerberg's platform's interest has often diverged from the original plans, going on to focus on implementing other features that are more attractive in terms of audience and possible earnings.
However, such delays have made many users fall back on other more stringent platforms from the point of view of confidentiality, such as Telegram (which continues to introduce new features at an impressive pace) and Signal (which has meanwhile sewn up a reputation as the most secure chat app).
In fact, after the introduction of the new privacy policy (here are the details), downloads of other messaging systems on digital stores have increased dramatically, without jeopardizing the future of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram, but going, however, to mark a change of direction by the public of users, increasingly attentive to the issue of data security.