Twitter tests ‘Secret’ encrypted messaging feature

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Twitter is testing a “Secret” messaging feature that will protect users’ private messages with end-to-end encryption. The feature has already been baked into the Twitter app for Android, but it hasn’t yet been activated inside a public release.

Twitter doesn’t encrypt our private conversations just yet, but after whistleblower Edward Snowden called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to add encrypted messaging, Dorsey promised it was “something we’ll think about.” 18 months on, Twitter has done more than just think about it.

Twitter lays groundwork for ‘Secret’ messaging

A “Secret” messaging option has been found inside the Twitter APK package for Android. It promises to protect your conversations with end-to-end encryption, allowing Twitter to compete with the likes of Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage.

The feature isn’t active inside a public Twitter release just yet, and Twitter won’t confirm that it even exists, TechCrunch reports. But now that the feature is built, it seems it’s just a matter of time before Secret messaging is made available to all.

We all want stronger security

We all have a stronger desire for end-to-end encryption and stronger security now that we live our lives online. It has become even more important for many users following high-profile data breaches and the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal affecting millions of Facebook users.

Some smartphone owners won’t use messaging services that don’t offer end-to-end encryption, which has helped services like Telegram become so popular. Now that more and more people are using Twitter’s direct messaging feature, it’s important we have it there, too.

End-to-end encryption prevents anyone except a sender and a recipient from reading direct messages. It prevents law-enforcement, other government agencies, and even the companies that provide messaging services from gaining access to our conversations.

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