End-To-End Encryption Remains Central To Digital Privacy

End-to-end encryption is widely used to secure digital communications, with major messaging services implementing it to protect user privacy and data. This approach is regarded as essential for safeguarding sensitive information in various contexts.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method that ensures only the intended sender and recipient can access the content of messages. Service providers and intermediaries are unable to read or alter the communication, as only the endpoints possess the necessary decryption keys.

Popular messaging services, including WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Matrix, and Keybase, have adopted E2EE to enhance user security. These platforms use encryption to prevent unauthorized access, even if servers or networks are compromised.

Experts in computer security, along with digital rights organizations and human rights advocates, have supported E2EE for its ability to resist mass surveillance. This technology is also considered important for protecting the privacy of journalists, activists, and whistle-blowers, especially in environments where surveillance is prevalent.

What the numbers show

• WhatsApp had over 3 billion users as of May 2025
• Signal was used by an estimated 70 million people in the same period
• WhatsApp delivered more than 100 trillion encrypted messages to over 2 billion users in five years

During global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, E2EE has played a role in protecting personal privacy. In regions with strict surveillance, encrypted communication channels have provided a means for individuals to communicate securely without exposure to monitoring.

Proposals to introduce backdoors or weaken encryption have been criticized for increasing risks to security and privacy. According to research, such measures do not provide proportional benefits in addressing online harms and may expose users to greater threats.

Some government and law enforcement agencies have stated concerns that E2EE can hinder criminal investigations. Privacy advocates, however, argue that reducing encryption protections would compromise the security of all users, not just specific targets.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.