You may soon be able to make encrypted audio and video calls on Facebook Messenger. App sleuth Jane Manchun Wong, who takes apart apps to discover unreleased features, recently shared a screenshot of this unreleased Messenger feature on Twitter. The feature is currently being tested as a part of Messenger’s Secret Conversations feature. Wong also says that the social media giant is working on bringing its Voice Assistant to the Facebook app.
Facebook added the Secret Conversations feature to Messenger back in 2016. It allows users to send end-to-end encrypted messages. Further, you can set a time limit for each message you send. You can even select devices where the conversation will be visible. The social media giant may now be thinking of giving audio and video calls as much protection.
Facebook uses the Signal Protocol for encryption in its Secret Conversations feature. Notably, Signal’s own messaging app also uses the same protocol and already has an option for making end-to-end encrypted calls. There’s no word yet on when the feature will actually arrive on Facebook Messenger.
WhatsApp, another Facebook-owned messaging service, meanwhile, already offers end-to-end encrypted audio and video calls, as well as messages. And unlike Messenger, where Secret Conversations is an opt-in feature, end-to-end encryption is always on in WhatsApp. There’s no way to turn it off.
Facebook and privacy concerns
Facebook is battling several privacy-related investigations and lawsuits around the world. In a bid to improve user privacy on its services, the company CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the plans to bring end-to-end encryption across all of its messaging platforms, including Instagram.
“People’s private communications should be secure. End-to-end encryption prevents anyone — including us — from seeing what people share on our services,” Mark wrote in a note titled “A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking” back in March. “At the same time, there are real safety concerns to address before we can implement end-to-end encryption across all of our messaging services.”
The US, UK, and Australian governments recently wrote to Facebook asking the company to ensure that end-to-end encryption doesn’t compromise on user safety. Authorities are concerned that end-to-end encryption may prevent law enforcement from investigating crimes that occur through Facebook’s platform.
In the open letter written to Mark Zuckerberg in October, Facebook was asked to hold off on the plans of introducing end-to-end encryption until the department figures out a way that ensures public safety. The letter was signed by US Attorney General William P. Barr, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, Acting US Homeland Security Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan and the Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton.