End-to-end encryption

Apple has joined WhatsApp, Signal, and other messaging companies, by raising concerns that end-to-end encryption would be threatened if the United Kingdom passes the “Online Safety Bill.” The bill moved to Parliament for review, and if passed, it would give the Office of Communications (Ofcom) the technology and authority to scan messages for concerning content.How To Prep Your iPhone or iPad Before SellingThe UK originally proposed the “Online Safety Bill” to criminalize content on social media platforms including…

WhatsApp has launched a new feature called the 'Global Security Centre' to protect users from online fraud and scams. This feature aims to provide helpful information and guidelines to keep users safe from spammers and unwanted contacts. The company has created a webpage that explains different safety measures users can take to protect themselves.The 'Global Security Centre' would be offered to users in English and 10 other Indian languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi,…

A coalition of over 90 organizations protested outside of Slack’s San Francisco headquarters Wednesday, driving mobile billboards around Slack’s offices in a protest-style rally and calling on the company to enable end-to-end encryption and add blocking and reporting features. Why Banning TikTok Won’t Protect Our PrivacyFor certain kinds of white collar jobs, life revolves around Slack, the messaging app that’s managed to completely entwine itself into the culture of American knowledge work. With that kind of market power…

Amid the tech firms contesting against each other to supersede, Google is rolling out the beta version of the Magic Compose in Messages by Google app, reported The Verge. The new feature is an…

WhatsApp, one of the most popular instant messaging platforms in the world, is actively working on rolling out a significant change. In fact, it is likely to change the very foundation of its relationship with users. It is being reported that, in a first for WhatsApp, it will likely replace phone numbers with usernames. This was revealed by WABetaInfo and the upcoming update will revolutionise the way users identify and connect with each other on the platform. WABetaInfo reported this after it explored the latest…

Digital privacy and data security have become essential in today's world when a majority of our day-to-day communication occurs online. We all use messaging apps where we chat with our friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances and share various kinds of information, including sensitive ones, with them. So, it is important to know whether the platform of our choice has a high focus on privacy and security or whether it is prone to data stealing. Noting the need, Avast, the cybersecurity software company, has released…

A viral tweet by a Twitter engineer claimed that WhatsApp listens through a smartphone's microphone even when the app is not in use, raising privacy concerns. WhatsApp denies these allegations, attributing them to a phone's operating system issue. In recent months, there have been a number of reports of apps using users' microphones and cameras without users' knowledge or consent. This has raised serious privacy concerns, as it means that apps could be listening in on private conversations or recording videos without…

Twitter did it. The company met a deadline and released something on the promised date under Elon Musk’s leadership. The social media platform put out its first-ever encrypted messaging option late on Wednesday night, just under the wire. Yet in the mad dash to deliver, the site seems to have made some confusing compromises, as outlined in a Twitter blogpost. Video Chat - From Sci-Fi to Sci-FactEncrypted DMs on Twitter have been years in the making. The platform first began hinting at and exploring the possibility of…

Apple has been at the forefront of fending user privacy and security across its devices. Previously, it launched App Tracking Transparency, which allows users to decide whether an app can track their activity for advertising purposes. Now, with iOS 16.2, Apple has brought out Advanced Data Protection, end-to-end encryption for iCloud, to all users outside of the US.What is Advanced Data Protection on iOS 16.2Advanced-Data Protection for iCloud includes end-to-end encryption for additional categories beyond passwords,…

Image: Burdun Iliya (Shutterstock)An end-to-end encrypted chat app that collects almost no data and requires no personal information to sign up? Sounds like a dream come true for privacy enthusiasts. The only problem is that Threema, the Swiss privacy company behind the messenger in question, has been using an unreliable cryptographic protocol, whose bugs would have allowed a savvy hacker to access metadata related tousers’ supposedly safe and secret convos. Yikes indeed.Threema’s unfortunate security issues were…