Facebook is taking a very interesting approach to making conversations on its Messenger secret, incorporating a number of great features: - End-to-end encryption: which ensures that the conversation is encrypted from user to user, using keys that are only available on users’ devices, because of which even Facebook will not be able to read the messages. This feature was rolled out earlier this year by Whatsapp, and based on the messenger Signal. Facebook is working Open Whisper Systems, the company behind Signal, for enabling this. Secret Conversations uses a different transport protocol, specialised on-device storage and separate back-end infrastructure. On-device encryption ensures that messages stored permanently on a particular device are only accessible while a user is authenticated to Facebook. - Secret conversations will be optional: This is a feature that is similar to the Telegram messenger, which allows users to start a separate encrypted chat. Facebook says that the optional feature is to allow people to switch devices for non-secret messages. - Timer setting: Users can select, via a timer, how long each message remains visible within a conversation. The time-limitation on messages is similar to Snapchat. Since messages are stored on the device, both devices automatically hide messages that specify a timeout, once the message timeout has elapsed. Messages are currently deleted immediately after expiration. After abuse reporting is allowed, an additional time-out will be introduced. - Single device limitation: Secret conversations can only be read on one device of the persons that a particular user is communicating with. At any…
