According to a new report from The Information, Facebook is looking for ways to analyze encrypted data, such as WhatsApp messages, without decrypting the information it contains.
Facebook has reportedly assembled a team of artificial intelligence researchers to study ways to analyze encrypted data without decrypting it. The aim of this research would be to allow Facebook to target advertisements based on encrypted messages on its WhatsApp messaging.
Indeed, the WhatsApp messaging app is one of the few to offer end-to-end encryption, which ensures that only the sender and the recipient have access to the shared information. Facebook would therefore like to find a solution to exploit this information exchanged by billions of users around the world., without violating the rules of confidentiality.
Facebook wants to analyze encrypted messages without decrypting them
According to information from The Information, the Facebook team will be responsible for developing a “homomorphic encryption” solution, which allowsanalyze encrypted information such as WhatsApp conversations, but without decrypting them. In other words, it would eventually be possible for Facebook to mine the data of your WhatsApp conversations using an algorithm to deliver targeted ads, but no human would have access to the analyzed data.
For now, Facebook has denied the allegation, assuring The Information that it was ” too early to consider homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp at this time “. Indeed, we imagine that such an algorithm will take several months to be developed. If Facebook manages to set it up, it could allow the American giant to increase its profits by using your data for advertising purposes.
To avoid a new controversy as during the change of its confidentiality policy on May 15, Facebook will owe no matter what ensure that this new project respects the privacy of its users. In the meantime, we recently learned that WhatsApp could well acquire a feature much awaited by users, sinceit would soon be possible to transfer your conversations from iOS to Android.
