WhatsApp straps on full end-to-end crypto for 1bn peeps

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is switching on full end-to-end encryption for texts and voice calls used by a billion people. Updates to the chat apps are said to be rolling out from today. The software uses Open Whisper Systems' Signal Protocol. Technical details of the encryption can be found through here.

"Over the past year, we've been progressively rolling out Signal Protocol support for all WhatsApp communication across all WhatsApp clients," said Open Whisper. "This includes chats, group chats, attachments, voice notes, and voice calls across Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, Nokia S40, Nokia S60, Blackberry, and BB10.

"As of today, the integration is fully complete. Users running the most recent versions of WhatsApp on any platform now get full end to end encryption for every message they send and every WhatsApp call they make when communicating with each other."

This means not even WhatsApp can decrypt intercepted nattering, if the tech holds up, if the biz is asked to by the authorities. Work started on WhatsApps' encryption in 2014. ®