Facebook announces PGP encryption; can now send encrypted emails to users

Facebook has now introduced a new feature wherein the site can send PGP (which stands for ‘pretty good privacy’) encrypted emails alerting users about private messages, password changes, and other account notifications. Facebook will also display a user’s PGP fingerprint as a part of the contact info, in case anyone wishes to send across an encrypted mail.

Facebook made the announcement on its  website  and stated that, “It’s very important to us that the people who use Facebook feel safe and can trust that their connection to Facebook is secure.” Users can update their own public key using a desktop browser by clicking  here . By enabling PGP, Facebook aims to protect the content contained in an email. The company added that, emails from Facebook will be signed with the site’s private key so people know the content is authentic.

A report by The Verge  points out that Facebook’s new feature is particularly useful in conjunction with the Tor site that the company rolled out end of last year. Together they provide an effective way to use Facebook, without revealing a user’s identity, by connecting through Tor and maintaining the account through encrypted emails.

Facebook has called the new PGP feature as an ’experiment’ and says that it will slowly roll out, though no time-frame was provided. It is being said that this is a crucial feature for activists and journalists in ‘oppressive countries’ who are looking to use Facebook under a false name, without revealing their identify via the social network.