WhatsApp adds encrypted back-up for text messages

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – WhatsApp adds encrypted back-up for text messages

Concept –

At a time when Indian authorities have asked instant messaging company WhatsApp to put in place a system to pinpoint the originator of messages, the Facebook-owned company has added another layer of encryption that will secure the messages that are even stored on Google Drive or iCloud
Now, accessing your WhatsApp messages from your phone storage would be even more difficult for another person, even for law enforcement agencies, as the company has started rolling out its new end-to-end encrypted back-up feature to protect messages that are stored outside its platform.
Recently, there have been instances where private messages on WhatsApp have been leaked after getting access to the user’s phone.
Users can now secure their messages with either a password or a 64-digit encryption key. “Neither WhatsApp nor your back-up service provider will be able to read your back-up or access the key required to unlock it,” said the messaging firm.
If someone chooses to back-up their chat history with end-to-end encryption, it will be accessible only to them, and no one will be able to unlock their back-up, not even WhatsApp.

To know about End-To-End Encryption, please click here and here.