Facebook is adding end-to-end encryption for Messenger soon

According to news reports, Facebook is planning to introduce end-to-end encryption to its Messenger app.

The Guardian, citing sources close to the project says, once the update hits in the coming months, users will be prompted to choose between either added privacy within the app or an improved artificial intelligence. Of course, this won’t be the first Facebook product to received improved encryption, as that honour belongs to another messaging service, WhatsApp

The feature will remain an opt-in, as Facebook is planning to add chatbots, as announced at the F8 developer conference earlier this year. Bots can be added in by developers for various corporate participants, and can be equipped to help users interact with services. For instance, a bot could help a news organisation deliver content in natural language text in real time.

The move to keep end-to-end encryption optional is indicative of the current standoff between major tech companies and security agencies. Companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple don’t want to cave in to demands to build backdoors into their systems for crime and terror investigators, but they can’t afford to block out business either; without ads, corporate partnerships are a major revenue stream in apps like Messenger.