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How to encrypt Facebook Messenger chats and why you should do it now

by Milicent Atieno
How to encrypt Facebook Messenger chats and why you should do it now

In the year 2016, and going forward, encryption is your friend. This point cannot be emphasized strongly enough, as there is a growing number of third parties who want to eavesdrop on your conversation. Not that you encrypt to avoid getting caught while doing or planning something unlawful, but because your right to privacy is not something you should take lightly.

What you should know about Facebook Messenger encryption

Unlike encryptions on other messaging apps, Facebook Messenger allows you just one encryption per device. That is to say, you can either encrypt chats on your smartphone, and not your tablet, or just your tablet and not your smartphone. It comes enabled by default on the first device to get the update. If you enable it on a second device, the first device encryption mode becomes automatically disabled. Lastly, it is not available on the web version of Messenger.

Even with the encryption mode turned on, it does not encrypt all your messages. You must decide which messages you want to be encrypted. It also comes with features such as the ability to set the time before a message evaporates. Encryption is only possible when both the sender and receiver have the most recent update of the app with the encryption feature. Group messages cannot be encrypted.

Using Facebook Messenger encryption

As explained above, you need to choose on which device to have encrypted messages on Messenger. All your encrypted messages will happen only on that one device. If you enable it on a second device, all encrypted messages on the first device will be deleted, and the Message will no longer have encryption enabled.

The first device that will get the update will have encryption turned on by default. To check on this [Android users] open the app, tap the ‘profile page,’ the last icon to the top right of Messenger. Tap on Secret Conversations and you will see the on/off toggle button.How to encrypt Facebook Messenger chats and why you should do it now

In case the first device to get the update is not your favorite device for using Messenger, or you simply don’t want encryption on it. Just go to that device and turn on the toggle on Secret Conversation. The other device will turn off automatically.

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1 comment

Bruce Kimble October 17, 2016 - 12:03 pm

Facebook Messenger used to be the least secure messenger of them all. Compared with secure messengers like Signal or Threema, it’s still not particularly secure (even with encryption mode turned on). I strongly recommend steering away from it.

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