Twitter launches encrypted messaging service

Share post:

Twitter has launched a new encrypted messaging service that ensures direct messages sent on the platform are secure and end-to-end encrypted, ensuring only the sender and recipient can access the content.

To enable encryption, the latest Twitter app generates a unique pair of device-specific keys – a private and public key pair – with the public key automatically registered upon a user’s login from a new device or browser. The private key remains solely on the user’s device and is never shared with Twitter. Additionally, a conversation-specific key is used to encrypt the message content securely between participating devices.

This feature was emphasized by Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who stated that he wouldn’t be able to view user messages even under duress. Despite this, he advised users to exercise caution and not fully trust this early version yet.

This service is currently only available to Twitter Blue subscribers or verified Twitter account holders, with the ability to share only text and links. It’s important to note that while messages themselves are encrypted, certain metadata such as recipient information and creation timestamps, along with any linked content, remain unencrypted. However, Twitter has acknowledged this limitation and is working to achieve complete encryption.

Twitter has also announced its intention to open-source the implementation of this feature and provide a comprehensive technical whitepaper later this year to detail the underlying technology.

The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Related articles

Is Oracle killing off MySQL?

Yesterday we covered a story about how Oracle was now cracking down on licensing Java, which started as...

Research Raises Concerns Over AI Impact on Code Quality

Recent findings from GitClear, a developer analytics firm, indicate that the increasing reliance on AI assistance in software...

Microsoft to train 100,000 Indian developers in AI

Microsoft has launched an ambitious program called "AI Odyssey" to train 100,000 Indian developers in artificial intelligence by...

NIST issues cybersecurity guide for AI developers

Paper identifies the types of cyberattacks that can manipulate the behavior of artificial intelligen

Become a member

New, Relevant Tech Stories. Our article selection is done by industry professionals. Our writers summarize them to give you the key takeaways