I was listening to a podcast and there was an ad for WhatsApp with the whole premise that if you don’t use end to end encryption for your text messages, that those texts are as easy to view as it is listening to a podcast, which made me think: is that really true? Because I wouldn’t even know where to start to see someone else’s texts, nor would I be interested and I’m sure the average everyday person wouldn’t need to worry about it right?
Am I missing something? Is there a way that anyone can input my number and suddenly have access to all my texts?
In: Technology
Just because you don’t have the skills to intercept someone’s messages that doesn’t mean no one does. The government, security services or police for example would maybe want access and they would certainly have ways of obtaining them if they weren’t encrypted.
This question is like asking “how is a lock on the front door actually useful to the everyday person living there?”
Using unencrypted messaging is like leaving your front door unlocked and all your window shades open at all times.
Yes, it’s true that if you’re a normal person in a safe area with no funny business going on, chances are no one is ever going to even try turning the doorknob maliciously or try to look in your bathroom window while you’re naked.
But in case someone ever *does* try that, isn’t it a good idea to lock the door and put the shades down by default? It barely costs you anything to do so, but it adds an extra layer that makes it more difficult for someone to go where you don’t want them.
“Who would do such a thing?” Indeed, but thats not the important question. The more important question is “who would *let* someone do such a thing so easily?”. Not me.
You lock your car and house despite the average person having no interest in stealing from you. Why would the internet be any different?
Think of it this way, OP: if you’re like most people out there, you like your communications with other people to stay private and away from prying eyes.
Now, while writing stuff on paper has its advantages in that respect relative to message interception, electronic communications hacking is a real thing that both nation-states (and not just ours), private companies, and nefarious people or groups practice daily, as intercepting information transiting through the internet is far easier than most people can understand.
Without E2E encryption, your communications would revert back to the time of postcards that anybody could ready during transit, starting with the mailman, your parents, and your nosy sister.
With the internet, anyone with the necessary skills can potentially identify you as a target for whatever reason and try to access your private communications from literally anywhere in the world using a basic computer connected to the internet.
Thus, in order to protect your private life and that of the people you exchange with, you use E2E encryption as much as possible, at least for sensitive information.
It’s worth reminding that standard email offers zero protection against hacking.
Point is, if you need to exchange privately, whatever the reason, use an E2E encrypted system.
End to end mean that only you and the other person you are sending to can read the message.
So whatsapp will be the one helps setting up a secure conversation, after that only 2 users can read the message inside that conversation. Not even whatsapp can know what you sent from here.
The point is the company (whatsapp) won’t have access to your message, not making your message more secure. Because if you don’t use end-to-end, the message should still go through secure connections, just one more node (you-whatsapp-other).
Almost all of the popular messaging apps except WeChat (used almost exclusively in China) are e2e encrypted.
Go to [haveibeenpwned.com](https://haveibeenpwned.com) and enter your email. Chances are you will see your email in atleast one breach if not multiple. Exploits allow people to access websites and exfiltrate data. Without E2EE your messages can show up online too. With E2EE they would have to specifically target your messages and then try to break the encryption to read them which is beyond the technical power of most.
It protects your privacy in the event of a breach and also court order.
Well, infromation flows in the internet is, if not encrypted, sent in plain. Which means, for example, from the URL you requested to the texting you send and receive, can be tapped by anyone that share the path between you and the destination. When they tap the necessary packets, they can reconstruct the message, which can tell what website you visit, what message you send or receive, and maybe some privacy (e.g. e-banking password, though not possibly unencrypted now).
And of course you can get away with it because nobody is interested in you, just like you can keep you house door unlocked hoping no one is interested in the things inside your house.
Latest Answers