The messaging applications that we use daily have all kinds of functionalities to facilitate our day to day. One of the advantages offered by platforms such as Telegram , Instagram Direct or Facebook Messenger is that they allow you to use the web versions without depending on the mobile ones. However, using Direct or Messenger is not a good idea.
And is that neither of the two Facebook platforms uses encryption by default . This implies that the messages, photos and videos that we send through them are not protected from end to end . The company does not detail that it has other active encryption in these chats as Telegram does, for example, so in this case it is convenient to put on the worst.
Neither Messenger nor Direct use encryption by default
If for example we use Messenger in the web browser, the messages are relatively protected on the way by using HTTPS. However, upon reaching Facebook’s servers, there the company itself or the governments could access the content without problem, as it is not encrypted.
In the past, a sign that Facebook could read our messages is that it did not allow the sharing of links to certain websites; especially if they were pirted. Now they don’t, but encryption is still absent. The only way to protect messages is to activate secret conversations, which are only available in the Messenger app . However, in the case of Direct , we don’t even have the option to send end-to-end encrypted messages.
In 2018, the company itself confirmed that it analyzed the messages and photos sent by users. For example, with the photos they analyze it to see if there is illegal content sent in those photos, such as exploitation of minors. In the case of text, if someone reports a message, Facebook can read it, proving that they are not end-to-end encrypted.
Facebook is currently working on the integration of its messaging applications, where Messenger, Direct and WhatsApp users will be able to send messages to each other, all of them end-to-end encrypted . The company has revealed that we will have to wait until 2022 at the earliest for this functionality to arrive, so they confirm that they are somewhat behind in its implementation.
What they have confirmed is that they expect end-to-end encryption to be available this year, which will mark two years since the company confirmed that it was working on this functionality.
Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp are better
Therefore, the recommendation we give is that, if you want your messages to be 100% private , that you use Signal, WhatsApp or the secret chats of Telegram or Messenger while implementing the default encryption in all their messaging services. WhatsApp has been offering end-to-end encryption for your messages for several years now, but it wasn’t until very recently that it also encrypted WhatsApp backups on Google Drive. Of course, the photos that are stored in Drive are not encrypted, so it is necessary to be careful with what we synchronize with the cloud.
