Communications on WhatsApp are now fully end-to-end encrypted, the company announced today, completing an integration that has lasted for nearly a year and a half. The company began rolling out encrypting text messages in November 2014, as part of a partnership with Open Whisper Systems, but those protections now extend to voice calls, video, and multi-party chat rooms, for users on both iOS and Android.

Deploying universal encryption allows for a number of new protections. Once communications with a user are encrypted, the WhatsApp client will now notify the user and refuse to send any unencrypted messages, addressing previous concerns that the system might be vulnerable to a downgrade attack.

From now on when you and your contacts use the latest version of the app, every call you make, and every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default, including group chats.

The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even whatsapp employees. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.

We live in a world where more of our data is digitized than ever before. Every day we see stories about sensitive records being improperly accessed or stolen. And if nothing is done, more of people's digital information and communication will be vulnerable to attack in the years to come. Fortunately, end-to-end encryption protects us from these vulnerabilities.

Today more than a billion people are using WhatsApp to stay in touch with their friends and family all over the world. And now, every single one of those people can talk freely and securely on WhatsApp.




SOURCE: https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000618/end-to-end-encryption

Good 1, but what is its disadvantages?

Good for privacy but it also means dat terrorists can now plan their attacks conveniently without the fear of being watched.