Twitter recently rolled out a new feature called encrypted Direct Messages or encrypted DMs on its platform. Encrypted messages are different from regular DMs in the sense that no one, not event Twitter, can check the contents of an encrypted DM. Also, encrypted DMs appear as separate conversations, alongside a user’s existing Direct Messages in their inboxes. Also Read - WhatsApp bug makes some Android smartphones falsely report microphone access: How to fix it
While Twitter hasn’t exactly shared details about the encryption technology that it uses, the company has said that it uses a combination of “strong cryptographic schemes to encrypt every single message”. Also Read - Paytm launches UPI Lite on iOS, RuPay credit card support on Android: How to use them
“We employ a combination of strong cryptographic schemes to encrypt every single message, link, and reaction that are part of an encrypted conversation before they leave the sender’s device, and remain encrypted while stored on Twitter’s infrastructure,” the company wrote in a blog post. Also Read - How to use Nearby Share to transfer files from your Android phone to Windows PC
Twitter plans to share more details about the feature and the technology that it uses via a whitepaper later this year.
Who can use encrypted DMs on Twitter?
As far as encrypted DMs are concerned, not everyone can use this feature. The company has shared a list of requirements for this feature to work. Here are the details:
— Both sender and recipient are on the latest Twitter apps.
— Both sender and recipient need to be verified Twitter users.
— The recipient needs to follow the sender or should have sent a message to sender previously. Alternatively, the recipient needs to have accepted a Direct Message request from the sender before.
How to send an encrypted DM on Twitter?
Step 1: Download the latest version of Twitter’s app on your device.
Step 2: If you are eligible to send encrypted messages, you will see a toggle after clicking on the message icon
to enable “encrypted” mode. Toggle the button to enable the feature.
Step 3: Select a eligible recipient.
Step 4: Compose a message and clicking send.
Alternatively, you can send an encrypted message through the conversation settings page of an unencrypted conversation. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Tap into an unencrypted conversation from your inbox.
Step 2: Tap on the information icon.
Step 3: Select “Start an encrypted message”.
Step 4: Hit Send.
Then there were some limitations…
Twitter says that you may fulfill the eligibility criteria for encrypted DM function to work and yet you may not be able to send an encrypted message. Twitter acknowledges this. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re working on it,” the company wrote in a post. And so, it has shared a list of conditions when the function will not work. Here’s the list:
— The feature doesn’t support group messages.
— It doesn’t support media and attachments.
— New devices cannot join existing encrypted conversations.
— The feature is capped at a maximum of ten devices per user.
— The feature does not offer protections against man-in-the-middle attacks.
— It is not possible to report an encrypted message to Twitter
