Twitter on Thursday introduced the launch of its encrypted DMs characteristic, which is geared toward securing messages on the platform. Whereas that is Twitter’s first transfer in its aim of supporting end-to-end encrypted messages on the service, the corporate has warned that the present implementation has a number of limitations. Solely verified customers can begin encrypted chats, whereas Twitter would not presently assist encrypted group messages on the app. There’s additionally a restrict on the variety of gadgets that can have entry to encrypted conversations, in line with the corporate.
The corporate explained in a weblog publish that the brand new encryption characteristic for direct messages, or DMs, is supported on the most recent variations of Twitter for iOS, Android, and the Internet. Nonetheless, each customers will should be verified, both as a Twitter Blue subscriber, or as a member of a verified organisation on Twitter. Even when these two standards are met, the recipient should comply with the sender of the message or have already despatched them a message prior to now — they will additionally settle for the sender’s DM request.
After assembly the above necessities, the sender will see a toggle with a lock icon after clicking on the brand new message floating motion button. This may open a chat with an eligible recipient and encrypted chats might be denoted by a lock icon on the recipient’s profile image.
Twitter’s encrypted DMs are denoted by a lock icon
Photograph Credit score: Twitter
Nonetheless, in contrast to messaging providers like Sign and WhatsApp there are presently a number of limitations to Twitter’s encrypted DMs characteristic. Twitter hasn’t disclosed what cryptographic scheme it has used to encrypt messages. As of now, teams aren’t supported, so you possibly can solely ship messages to 1 recipient. Solely textual content and hyperlinks might be encrypted, which implies that media, reactions, and all chat metadata isn’t encrypted.
Twitter additionally says that there’s presently no strategy to confirm the integrity of a dialog, which implies that Twitter or a malicious third social gathering may compromise an encrypted dialog and customers wouldn’t be alerted. The corporate says that it’s engaged on implementing signature checks and “security numbers” (options applied by apps like Sign and WhatsApp) to simply enable customers to confirm the integrity of their chats.
Early model of encrypted direct messages simply launched.
Strive it, however do not belief it but.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
In the meantime, Twitter will solely allow you to check in to a most of ten gadgets to entry encrypted DMs. You can’t see a listing of registered gadgets, or de-register a tool you not have entry to. New gadgets won’t have entry to present encrypted conversations.
Logging out of a tool will delete all of your encrypted chats, in line with Twitter, and within the absence of a key backup characteristic, there may be presently no strategy to retrieve these chats besides logging in to the identical gadget. The corporate additionally says that customers will not be capable to report encrypted messages to Twitter, however means that they will block a person from sending them DMs and report the account as a substitute.
