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Skype conversations are about to be as secure as conversations on Signal, the service used by US Senators. Microsoft is testing a new feature for Skype: end-to-end encrypted chat conversations. These conversations are secured using industry standard Signal Protocol by Open Whisper Systems.
In a blog post, the company announced the experimental feature named “Private Conversations.” The feature is available to anyone running the beta Skype Insider build (version 8.13.76.8) on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, or Linux. It’s worth mentioning that if you’re planning to test this feature, you will only be able to start private chats with other individuals who have the same Insider build.
Skype right now does offer some degree of encryption to protect communication channel itself, but of course, end-to-end encryption is much more secure. With end-to-end encryption, the contents of messages can only be read by the sender and recipient and will not just be sitting on Microsoft’s servers.
