Microsoft, Signal add end-to-end encryption to Skype

Skype users will soon be able to message without fear of prying eyes as secure communications firm Signal has partnered with Microsoft to add new encryption capabilities to the service.

The new feature, dubbed Private Conversations, has some key differences from typical Skype chats. Users must specifically accept invitations to private conversations, and for now those conversations must be one-to-one.

Additionally, private conversations can only take place on the devices they're initiated from. That means that a conversation started on a phone can't be continued from a laptop, for instance, due to the nature of Signal's encryption protocol.

Users also won't be able to edit messages or forward files in private conversations, or see message previews in the main chat window.

Skype marks the third major messaging service to adopt Signal's protocol for secure end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google's Allo added the feature in 2016,

Private conversations are available now in Skype Insider builds for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. There's no word yet on when the feature will roll out to a wider audience.

14 Comments

racerhomie3 1264 comments · 7 Years

About 6 years ago

Wow .
They did not have this before!

indieshack 336 comments · 9 Years

Um - what? Signal will have been (or will be in the future) the recipient of a midnight knock at the door by someone holding a court order to provide them access to the encryption. Personally I couldn’t care less since I don’t do anything interesting (or dodgy) in my spare time, but no one should be under the illusion that this is completely impenetrable.

bobjohnson 154 comments · 10 Years

indieshack said:

Um - what? Signal will have been (or will be in the future) the recipient of a midnight knock at the door by someone holding a court order to provide them access to the encryption. Personally I couldn’t care less since I don’t do anything interesting (or dodgy) in my spare time, but no one should be under the illusion that this is completely impenetrable.

Barring a flaw in the protocol itself, this isn't really possible. The core concept of end-to-end encryption is that the only parties capable of reading messages are the parties sending the messages, because they generate the keypairs directly. You can't have a "master key."

bobjohnson said:

indieshack said:

Um - what? Signal will have been (or will be in the future) the recipient of a midnight knock at the door by someone holding a court order to provide them access to the encryption. Personally I couldn’t care less since I don’t do anything interesting (or dodgy) in my spare time, but no one should be under the illusion that this is completely impenetrable.

Barring a flaw in the protocol itself, this isn't really possible. The core concept of end-to-end encryption is that the only parties capable of reading messages are the parties sending the messages, because they generate the keypairs directly. You can't have a "master key."

I stand corrected - I read up some more after your comment

roake 820 comments · 10 Years

indieshack said:

Um - what? Signal will have been (or will be in the future) the recipient of a midnight knock at the door by someone holding a court order to provide them access to the encryption. Personally I couldn’t care less since I don’t do anything interesting (or dodgy) in my spare time, but no one should be under the illusion that this is completely impenetrable.

None of us do anything interesting (or dodgy), or maybe we do. In any case, it’s ours to do, and not the business of the government. And if they think it is, they can damned well investigate based on my merits or actions, and not by slithering around through everything attributed to me on the internet.