By Adam Wakefield

In a blog post by WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton on the platform's website, they explain the idea is simple: “When you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.”

For those interested to learn more, Koum and Acton direct readers here, but in short they say all users need to know is that end-to-end encrypted messages can only be read by the recipients intended. If a person is using the latest version of WhatsApp, end-to-end encryption is on by default, all the time.

“We live in a world where more of our data is digitized than ever before. Every day we see stories about sensitive records being improperly accessed or stolen. And if nothing is done, more of people's digital information and communication will be vulnerable to attack in the years to come. Fortunately, end-to-end encryption protects us from these vulnerabilities,” the pair said.

“Encryption is one of the most important tools governments, companies, and individuals have to promote safety and security in the new digital age. Recently there has been a lot of discussion about encrypted services and the work of law enforcement. While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe, efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people's information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states.”

Koum and Acton believe that while WhatsApp is among a few communication platforms to build full end-to-end encryption on by default for everything the platform does, they expect it will ultimately represent the future of personal communication.

“Today more than a billion people are using WhatsApp to stay in touch with their friends and family all over the world. And now, every single one of those people can talk freely and securely on WhatsApp,” the pair said.

If Koum and Acton are correct, the previous discussions and battles that have taken place over encryption are merely the tip of the iceberg.