Facebook confirmed this year it's planning to add an extra layer of security to its messaging services as part of an effort to make it possible for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram users to send messages to one another without switching apps.
Like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram messages would be end-to-end encrypted, meaning messages couldn't be viewed by anyone outside the sender and recipient.
In January, The New York Timesreported that Facebook set a goal of finishing the work by the end of this year or early 2020.
Facebook's plan to end-to-end encrypt Instagram andMessenger has raised concerns that it would make it harder for law enforcement to solve child exploitation crimes.
Last year, revelations surfaced that UK political consultancy Cambridge Analytica harvested the data of up to 87 million Facebook users without their consent.
Internally, Facebook executives have reportedly butted heads with Zuckerberg about plans to merge the messaging services.
Misinformation on WhatsApp, for example, reportedly led to lynchings in India, prompting the messaging app to limit the amount of messages that can be forwarded along with promoting digital literacy.
He added that tech companies should explore other business models outside of advertising, which Facebook makes most of its money from, because it doesn't necessarily make the product better.
Original article