According to Jane Manchun Wong, a security researcher and reverse engineering blogger, Twitter may be working on bringing end-to-end encryption to the platform. Wong discovered this evidence via a series of tweets that leaked details of the new features still under development.
The first change that is coming is the removal of the source field. The source field is the section beneath every tweet that tells what kind of device was used to post the tweet. It's unclear what the purpose of this feature is, but it likely reduces clutter.
This change is trivial but may be useful in some way. You can view a prototype of this change here: https://twitter.com/wongmjane/status/1592833303866114048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
End to end encryption is a secure communication protocol that is completely private and can not be accessed by any other party besides those participating in the messaging. This protocol is being added to messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Telegram, but there are concerns about it being added to other types of apps. Jane Manchun Wong, a reverse engineering expert, discovered evidence that this protocol might be added to Twitter. This would make Twitter a more secure platform, but it could also raise privacy concerns.
Jane Manchun Wong is a 27-year-old code cracker with a large following on Twitter. Recently, she discovered evidence that Twitter may be working on bringing back end-to-end encryption to its Direct Messaging service.
She tweeted about it, providing a screenshot of the evidence she found:
Twitter is bringing back end-to-end encrypted DMs
Seeing signs of the feature being worked on in Twitter for Android: https://t.co/YtOPHH3ntD pic.twitter.com/5VODYt3ChK
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 16, 2022
In November of 2022, Jane Manchun Wong posted evidence of an early prototype for Twitter's upcoming end-to-end encryption for DMs. This followed a suggestion she made in response to a tweet from Elon Musk, in which he asked for suggestions on how to make Twitter better. Wong suggested that Twitter revive end-to-end encryption for DMs. However, Lea Kissner, the former Twitter Chief Information Security Officer, shared her observations about possible pitfalls of this idea.
Twitter is considering implementing end-to-end encryption, but there are some challenges. One big challenge is the potential for abuse, as it's much easier for bad actors to misuse the system when they don't need a phone number. Another challenge is complexity - it's hard to roll out to multiple devices without compromising security. Despite these challenges, end-to-end encryption is still doable for Twitter.
Twitter is working on a media warning for users in South Korea. If users upload any content that was illegally filmed, Twitter may delete or block access to the content and the uploader may be sanctioned.
This is aimed at the issue of illegally filmed videos of people and cyberstalking, which is a problem in South Korea. It's good to see Twitter taking steps to address this issue.
Twitter is working on a media warning for users in South Korea. The warning will read: “If you upload any Illegally Filmed Content, Twitter may delete or block access to the content and the uploader may be sanctioned.”
This is a useful feature that will hopefully help combat spycam videos and similar media that was taken without a person’s knowledge or agreement. It is unclear how fast Twitter will be able to roll out the feature with their reduced workforce.