WASHINGTON: Social media giant Facebook has shared an update on its long-awaited plans to turn on end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default in its Messenger chat platform.

According to The Verge, Facebook has said that they have started testing the feature for chats “between some people” this week. The Meta-owned platform currently offers Messenger users the option to turn on E2EE on a per-chat basis, but such opt-in schemes are generally only embraced by a security-conscious minority.

Making end-to-end encryption the default will be a big step: adding a substantial layer of security to a chat platform used by more than a billion people worldwide. It’s also likely to trigger arguments with governments who say E2EE hinders their ability to fight crime.

End-to-end encryption means that Facebook cannot view the content of its users’ messages, only participants can. This makes it much harder, though not impossible, for third parties like hackers or law enforcement to snoop on digital conversations.

In recent years, Meta has been slowly adding more layers of encryption to its various chat platforms, but these efforts have not yet been unified.

Chats on WhatsApp are encrypted by default using the same protocol offered by industry-standard secure messenger Signal; opt-in encryption for Instagram DMs is currently being tested, and Messenger offers E2EE via its “disappearing messages” feature.

Other new features being tested on Messenger include syncing deleted messages across devices; testing the ability to unsend messages; and adding encryption to hands-free messages sent on Messenger using the company’s Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, as per The Verge.