Twitter may end-to-end encrypt your direct messages in the future

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(Pocket-lint) – Twitter is reportedly working on introducing end-to-end encryption to the social network’s direct messages, something CEO Elon Musk appears to confirm.

Twitter had previously worked on what it called Secret Conversations, but abandoned development before the feature saw the light of day. Today, researcher Jane Manchun Wong says Twitter’s code for Android appears to suggest work has resumed and encrypted direct messages are being tested.

Following this tweet, Musk responded with a winking emoji, which seems to indicate that Twitter is indeed working on a feature that would make it a viable option for people who want to send and receive messages securely. . Apps like WhatsApp and Signal already offer end-to-end encryption, while Apple’s iMessage has a complicated history in this regard.

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2022

Apple says iMessages aren’t encrypted when iCloud backups are enabled, which means Twitter may soon be a more secure method of communication than the feature built into every iPhone on the planet.

There is no timeline for the launch of Twitter’s encrypted direct messages, but Musk has previously suggested that he requires Twitter to iterate quickly. It’s possible that Musk will also put secure messaging behind Twitter Blue’s paywall, while support in third-party apps could also be limited to trick people into using Twitter’s official apps and website.

Musk recently confirmed that Twitter Blue would be relaunched on November 29, following a disastrous launch earlier this month in which companies and official bodies were impersonated by people who paid for a verified blue tick.