The Major Tech Companies Are Increasing Their Privacy Features

Silicon Valley’s major companies, such as Facebook, Snapchat and Google, are developing their own improved privacy features, as Apple is battling in courts the US authorities over encryption. These tasks could antagonize regulators like Apple’s more protected iPhone, which are now in the middle of the investigation regarding the shooter from San Bernardino.

They also show that the market may be hoping to strengthen public support for the companies with tangible actions. Next month, Facebook’s texting platform WhatsApp wants to increase its protected chatting support so that phone calling will be also encrypted, besides its current privacy options.

The app has more than one billion users per month customers and Facebook wants to improve the protection of its Messenger service too. Snapchat, the famous texting software, is also creating a safe messaging platform, while Google is discovering extra usage for the technologies behind a previous encrypted email venture.

Specialists from major tech companies, such as Twitter, have researched secured texting before, but these were never launched because items can be difficult to use and the firms prioritize more user-friendly tasks.

But they hope that the higher focus on encryption indicates that managers see strong security functions as a company advantage, and not only a marketing message. These new privacy features started before Apple got into a court fight with the US authorities over whether they must help regulators to hack a terrorist’s iPhone.

The company will appear in court later these weeks to sustain its cause. WhatsApp already provides iOS and Android customers secured texting features during the use. In the near future, it intends to offer its clients encrypted phone calls and group information, as some experts acquainted with the issue said.

This will make the service, which can be downloaded for free, very hard for regulators to tap. As opposed to many secured texting applications, WhatsApp has not pitched the privacy features of the software as its selling feature to customers.

The company’s officials have said that people should be capable to expect these protection features to be built-in by default, and not a reward feature.

It is uncertain if this will change and in the next weeks, the app intends to create an official system about its extended security promotions, experts said. These issues may seem unrelated, but US authorities view the improving accessibility to protection innovations as an important help for ISIS’ online recruitment initiatives.

According to them, tech companies will have to decide whether they care more about being perceived as assisting the government to combat terrorism or be privacy supporters.

 Image source: Applenapps