Twitter has launched its long-awaited encrypted direct messaging (DM) feature, but its rollout comes with limitations that may disappoint privacy-conscious users.
For example, both users must be verified to use the encrypted chat, and the feature does not support group messages, media other than links or direct reporting of encrypted messages.
Twitter also revealed that message metadata is not encrypted and that it is still able to access encrypted DMs without the participants knowing. The platform does not provide protection against man-in-the-middle attacks, which could compromise messages without the sender or receiver being aware.
Twitter’s encryption falls short of the standard set by owner Elon Musk, who has said he wants it to be impossible for the company to access users’ encrypted messages. Elsewhere, Twitter security engineer Christopher Stanley has acknowledged that the platform was “not quite there yet” but said the company was working on improvements.
