Facebook Messenger Reportedly Working on Secret Conversations
Facebook Messenger is reportedly working on improving the privacy and security of its millions of users by adding more chatting options.
With encryption still a hot topic at the moment following the case between Apple and the FBI, Facebook seems to be working on ways to better the encryption used on its world-popular messaging application. The social networking giant was one of the companies that aired their support for Apple during the case, highlighting the need to protect users and their privacy while at the same time helping fight the issue of terrorism.
At the same time, reports started emerging that major tech companies, including Google and Facebook, were working on ways to better the security and privacy of their services. Google recently did its part, introducing tighter security measures on its Gmail email services that will see users warned in case of any suspected state-sponsored attacks.
Now the latest reports claim that Facebook Messenger wants to introduce an equally encryption-focused chat option that will see users enjoy conversations in private.
Facebook Messenger Secret Conversations
According to a report coming from The Information, Facebook Messenger will be adding a new feature to the upcoming version. The feature was discovered buried deep within the app’s code and if all remains true, it will be known as Secret Conversations. Of course, there are no further details that can be sourced from the code, but the assumption here is that with this addition, users will be able to get newer and better ways to securely chat with their friends on the platform, making use of the famous end-to-end encryption.
Speaking of end-to-end encryption, Facebook Messenger was meant to take this path at some point given that its counterpart, WhatsApp, which is also the most popular chat app in the world, received this end-to-end encryption towards the end of 2014. Another application that is also gaining prominence due to its robust end-to-end encryption protocols is Telegram. With people around the world aware of the importance of online privacy and security, Facebook hopes that such a feature would help attract more users to the platform.
The same report also claims that Facebook Messenger might soon start to let users make in-store payments right from within the app before going to collect the item in person. This has led to the speculations that Facebook might look for a partner in Apple Pay or other mobile payments service providers in a bid to ensure that users have seamless experiences when making purchases via the Messenger app.
The fact that these details are appearing in the source code of Facebook Messenger doesn’t guarantee that they will be released together with the final version. However, it is obvious that quite a number of new features will be coming to this platform pretty soon.
Source | Neurogadget
