Save over 40% when you secure your tickets today to TNW Conference 💥 Prices will increase on November 22 →

This article was published on February 4, 2016

Facebook cripples chat encryption app that promised users extra privacy


Facebook cripples chat encryption app that promised users extra privacy

Chat encryption app, Crypter, that seemed to offer a secure way to communicate with your Facebook friends has effectively depreciated in functionality after Facebook made changes to its platform to prevent the app from working.

Available as an extension for Chrome and Firefox, Crypter’s purpose was to encrypt your Facebook messages as a user is typing them. Created by Sussex University student Max Mitchell, the app was designed to let you and your Facebook friends put your messages into a cipher with an agreed-upon password. Once the correct password had been entered, Crypter users could decode the content of conversation.

crypter chats
This is how encrypted messages appeared before Facebook’s adjustments.

In light of recent mass spying revelations, Crypter adopts an ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ approach and – for this reason – the app was built specifically for Facebook, ‘[i]nstead of inviting users to join a brand new chat application.’

Since the changes Facebook implemented to stop the encryption app from working, the Crypter team assures us that they are ‘working extremely hard on another way around.’

The 💜 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

Crypter [via TechCrunch]

 

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with