Do you also get chills at the thought of losing your WhatsApp data? When sending a very private text, do you think, what if someone can see this message other than the recipient? These are the genuine concerns of many users, but only a handful of them are aware of the security and its whereabouts.
An average WhatsApp user is only familiar with the term end-to-end encryption when it comes to the app’s security. Many people don’t know about it and its working. Tech-savvy WhatsApp users are aware of its working, but that’s a handful.
What is end-to-end encryption?
With end-to-end encryption, all your messages, calls, photos, voice messages, videos, documents, and all you sent are secure. That is the essential function of this feature. It saves your data from falling into the wrong hands.
The small lock that appears with the notification of end-to-end encryption at the beginning of a WhatsApp chat is a representative. It represents a locked chat, and the lock has two keys only. One key is with the sender, and the other is with the recipient.
The encryption is automated. You don’t need to set it or ask for it. If you are a WhatsApp user, you are entitled to this feature. This high-security feature is exceedingly rare, and very few apps offer it. Any applications are expected to launch this feature in 2022.
How end-to-end encryption works?
According to WhatsApp, it is not able to cack end-to-end encryption. It means that end-to-end encrypted messages stay between the sender and the recipient. Even Whatsapp can not access it, which is the chat medium in this case.
So, it is safe to say that WhatsApp has done everything to provide top-notch security to its users’ data. However, WhatsApp payments are not end-to-end encrypted. The WhatsApp payment feature is handy but is available in particular countries only. It allows for money transfer between accounts at various financial institutions.
The reason behind not keeping payments end-to-end encrypted makes sense. The financial institution must receive the information and process the payment.
Recently, there was a hype around the security of WhatsApp. However, WhatsApp was quick to clear the air around it. But the question is whether is it safe to use WhatsApp after all the security allegations in the presence of other similar apps.
The simple answer per the experts is yes, WhatsApp is safe to use. The app has almost two billion active users and has been downloaded nearly five billion times. We are dependent on WhatsApp in various aspects. An app this common is a part of people’s daily lives. Even if you switch to another app amid the security issues (which are already cleared by WhatsApp), you won’t be able to find the majority of your contacts there. So, it’s better to stay, especially when the app has announced end-to-end encryption for backups.