End-to-end encryption

End-to-end encryption means only you and the person you message can read it; not even the app company or a hacker on the way can open it.

End-to-end encryption: End-to-end encryption, or E2EE, scrambles a message on the sender's device and unscrambles it only on the receiver's device. Anyone in the middle, such as the network, the app's servers or a hacker on public Wi-Fi, sees only unreadable data.

WhatsApp and Signal use end-to-end encryption by default for chats and calls. This protects the content in transit, but it does not protect you from a person who has your phone, from someone who joins your group, or from a scammer you willingly talk to. A hacked or cloned account can also read new messages. Fraudsters use this privacy to run scam groups, so a chat being private is not proof that the person in it is honest.

Cloud backups can weaken the protection if they are not encrypted separately. Review the backup settings of your chat app, and switch on two-step verification so that your number cannot be taken over easily. Remember that encrypted chats still allow screenshots and forwarding by the other person. Review linked devices in your chat app and remove any you do not recognise.

Tips

• Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp so nobody can move your number to another phone.
• Check whether your chat backups are encrypted and protected with a password.
• Be careful what you send; the other person can still screenshot or forward it.

Related terms