WhatsApp’s billion plus users are now protected by end-to-end encryption. Every call, text message, photo, video, file, or voicemail sent using WhatsApp will be encrypted for all users by default. End-to-end encryption is a system of secure communication wherein only the people involved in the exchange can read the messages. 

In their announcement, WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton said, “No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.”

As noted above, end-to-end encryption doesn’t let WhatsApp and its staff gain access to the messages. In light of the recent public battle between Apple and the FBI regarding encryption of user devices, the decision has a number of implications. The company may want to avoid a possible standoff with legal and government authorities by placing user messages out of their own reach. Additionally, they are making a public statement regarding their stand on encryption and user privacy. 

Other aspects of end-to-end encryption include the inability of internet and telecommunications providers from eavesdropping on users. In theory, such encryption makes surveillance impossible as no third-party can decipher the user messages. The introduction of high level encryption in a mainstream messaging application may set a new standard for user security and privacy going forward. 

Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, points to his formative experience as shaping his commitment to protecting user privacy: “The desire to protect people's private communication is one of the core beliefs we have at WhatsApp, and for me, it's personal. I grew up in the USSR during communist rule and the fact that people couldn't speak freely is one of the reasons my family moved to the United States.”