Encrypted messaging app Signal is working on a feature that’s long been missing from the chat service: group video calls.
On Thursday, the nonprofit behind the Signal app made a hiring call on Twitter for programmers to help it develop the feature. The goal is to create group video calls that’ll be end-to-end encrypted and free to the public.
The Signal team announced the news as Zoom, a popular video conferencing provider, declined to roll out its upcoming end-to-end encryption technology to free users of its service. Instead, the privacy feature will only be available to paid users, many of whom are enterprises.
On Tuesday, Zoom’s CEO sparked some outrage over the decision when he explained why free users won’t be getting the encryption technology: The company wants to work with the law enforcement to catch suspected criminals abusing the video conferencing service.
The end-to-end encryption is important because it effectively scrambles your video calls and prevents them from being decrypted. No one, including the product provider, government authorities, or hackers, will be able to view your calls, unless you accept them into the video session or they snatch your device. In Zoom’s case, the company does encrypt video calls by default for all users. However, for free customers, the company will hold on to the keys used to encrypt the data.
(Credit: Signal)
Signal, on the other hand, generates and stores the private encryption keys on your device. The app currently offers end-to-end encrypted video calls, but they can only occur between two users.
So far, Signal hasn’t revealed any details on the upcoming feature. But it’ll offer a free alternative for users looking for an encrypted video call function — not operated by a major corporation. Currently, Apple’s FaceTime on iOS and Mac, along with Facebook’s WhatsApp, both offer group video calls secured with end-to-end encryption.
