Facebook implements more privacy measures with the introduction of end-to-end encrypted audio and video calling in the Secret Conversations trials.

ByShehryar Makhdoom | Published date:
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The technology giant says the research focuses on the improvement of secret conversations.

Tests will involve end-to-end encrypted interactive multimedia calls and are planned to start throughout the course of this week.

Secret Conversations currently only enables the protocol to prohibit anybody other than the participants from reading the material, including platform providers, from using end-to-end encryption texts, images, video clips, voice records and stickers. Group messaging, payments, and audio/video calls are not supported by the app. However, social media behemoth Facebook has been exploring more secure solutions as a potential launch in the future.

Facebook has told that the additions "provide greater choice and control" and that developments in these areas are "a major step towards making Messenger safer and more private."The examinations should last for a few months. Depending on the results of the trials, other rollouts may follow. The participants in the test group will view a telephone icon at the head of the Secret Talks window, as illustrated below. The option is put in a layout similar to the standard Messenger windows.

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The corporation is also testing a new timekeeping functionality. Secret conversations already allow users to set an expiry timer for their communications, but this bolt-on will enable participants to switch off messages completely – or to set a default duration of one minute, 15 minutes or 24 hours for content to disappear.

It is highly likely that chat conversations on the platform will be encrypted by default for years to come. Meanwhile, the Secret Conversations trials could pave the path for the establishment of standard encryption.

"It's a long-term effort this year and we'll not be fully encrypted by end-to-end by one end at some point in 2022," the business added, "but we expect improvement in standard encryption for both Messenger and Instagram Direct."

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