Recent events in the world of tech have caused alarm among many people worried about the privacy and security of their personal data. Lately, we’ve been receiving thousands of questions from Viber users who wished to learn more about what happens to their personal conversations, so we’d like to give you peace of mind.
We can’t read your Viber chats
Your personal chats – which include one-on-one chats, group chats, as well as audio and video calls – need to remain between you and the people you’re chatting or talking to. In order to guarantee that your data will remain your own, Viber uses end-to-end encryption by default.
This means that ALL your private or group communications are all encrypted so that no one – including Viber – can read or hear them besides you and the person you’re talking to.
How does end-to-end encryption work?
The messages you send make their way from your device to your friend’s device in the form of a code that only their device has the unique key to translate it to plain text. Viber does not store any of your conversations on its servers once it has been delivered. So, if for example your conversation partner’s phone is off or they don’t have an internet connection, your message will wait patiently on Viber’s servers (for a limited time) – still safe, encrypted, and in the form of a code – until their device is prepared to receive it.
Viber’s end-to-end encryption is always on by default-on your private and group chats and calls. So no one can read your messages or hear your calls – not even Viber. https://vb.me/a1a552– Click to Tweet
The end-to-end encryption of your chats on Viber is on by default, for all your private and group chats and calls. When we became one of the first messaging apps to introduce full end-to-end encryption, it was our priority to make it the standard on Viber, and not a special feature or option to be turned on in your app settings. Other messaging apps will not secure your data until you’ve actively turned the encryption on – something not everyone is aware of.
How can you know if your personal chats are encrypted and safe on other messaging apps?
On Viber it’s easy – all conversations are end-to-end encrypted.
But here is what you should know about other messaging apps: Some let you access your personal chats through an internet browser – whether its your work computer at home or even a public computer at a hotel. This web-based access comes with a high price – know that your personal chats are at risk.
Messaging apps that enable stand-alone web-based access aren’t using end-to-end encryption to safeguard your data because they can’t – the browser you use is entirely out of the control of the messaging app. The browser becomes a man-in-the-middle between the people who are communicating. That means your chats are not encrypted. They become readable and usable for advertising purposes, and can be a perfect target for hackers.
Messaging apps that give you access on any internet browser are risking your privacy. Learn what Viber does differently to truly safeguard your personal chats. https://vb.me/a1a552– Click to Tweet
This is the reason why Viber doesn’t allow users from accessing chats from a web browser. In order to keep all your personal chats on Viber completely safe and encrypted, they are accessible only through native Viber apps (on your mobile phone or your desktop computer). This lets us vouch for their highest security and safety levels.
We don’t sell your private conversations
You message a friend on some other messaging app: “I really want to grab pizza. Join me?”. A few moments later, you suddenly see an ad for a local pizza place on your social feed. Sound familiar?
That’s no coincidence. In fact, some messaging apps listen in on your private conversations (about that hotel you’re thinking of going to or those shoes you’d like to get) and turn your personal chats into valuable data for advertisers.
At Viber, we don’t sell your private conversations.
Viber’s end-to-end encryption prevents everyone, including Viber itself, from reading your messages or hearing your calls. So your private Viber conversations can never be used as valuable data for advertisers. https://vb.me/a1a552- Click to Tweet
Viber doesn’t have access to your messages and calls, since our end-to-end encryption prevents even us from reading your chats, so we can’t target or bombard you or your friends with ads based on your conversations.
The hot topic of data privacy and how well-known apps are handling it is an important wake up call. Be sure that you know which messaging apps are safeguarding your personal data.
At Viber, your personal data is yours. We can’t read your messages and can’t turn them into data for advertisers. Your privacy and security are more than a commitment for us, we act upon it.
