Encryption Basics: How to Keep Conversations Private

You’ve probably heard the news about a big hacking operation from China targeting our telecom companies. The FBI has warned that this threat isn’t fully gone yet. So, how can you make sure your texts and calls stay private? The answer is encryption. It’s a technology that mixes up your messages so only you and the person you’re talking to can understand them. Apps like Signal and WhatsApp have been using this tech for years. When you use these apps to chat or call, only you and the person on the other end have the special code to unscramble the message. Even the companies that run these apps can’t read your messages. But what about regular texting and calling? Telecom companies usually keep records of who called or texted whom and when. They also store some text messages but not phone calls. Hackers can easily grab these records, but they need to target specific calls to listen in.You might already be using end-to-end encryption without knowing it. If you use iMessage to text other iMessage users or Google Messages to text other Google Messages users, your chats are automatically encrypted. But when you text someone using a different app, like an iMessage user texting a Google Messages user, the messages aren’t encrypted end to end. They can be read by the company if a court orders it or if hackers break in. For calls, Google and Apple offer encryption if you use their internet-based calling apps, like Google Fi and FaceTime. The app Telegram says it offers end-to-end encryption, but some experts are cautious about it because not all its code is public and it doesn’t encrypt conversations by default. The FBI started investigating this hacking operation in the spring or summer of this year. They believe Chinese hackers got into AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, accessing records of calls and texts, especially in the D. C. area. In some cases, they could even listen to calls involving people from the Trump and Harris campaigns and the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. China has denied these accusations, as they usually do.