Meta had announced that default end-to-end encryption was coming to Messenger by 2023. The feature has been fully rolled out to group chats and calls in Messenger. In addition, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced security features that will be applied to disappearing messages.
In a post on Facebook, the CEO said that users would now be alerted if the other contact took a screenshot of disappearing messages.
“New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message. We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too.” Zuckerberg said.
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Disappearing messages are set to be removed 12 hours after the recipient has seen them. This is meant to enhance privacy for instance, for people who do not wish to have sensitive messages lingering long after the conversation. However, some people may take screenshots of the conversations, meaning the messages will not entirely disappear, hence the update.
Messenger has enabled several more features in addition to the new screenshot alert. GIFs, stickers, responses, and long-press can now be used to reply to or forward messages in end-to-end encrypted chats. Verified badges are now available in encrypted chats, allowing users to recognize genuine accounts.
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