WhatsApp delivers layman’s defense of encryption in first US-only campaign

WhatsApp is taking steps to reassure its 2 billion users that their secrets are safe when messaging as a result of its end-to-end encryption techniques.

The privacy-centric marketing campaign highlights how all 100bn messages per day exchanged by the communications app are protected by default – irrespective of the device – to keep prying eyes and ears away from your texts, calls, photos and recordings.

The campaign marks the first marketing campaign to be launched by the messaging service in the US and is intended to reach the senders of 5.5bn unencrypted texts in the US every day to illustrate how they could be better served elsewhere.

Likening unprotected messages to ‘opened mail,’ the BBDO-devised campaign seeks to educate Americans on the dangers posed by the limitations of SMS text messages, which can be vulnerable to eavesdroppers.

Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, said: “It’s exciting to introduce WhatsApp to the US and share the benefits of using an end-to-end encrypted messaging service. WhatsApp secures your conversations with end-to-end encryption, which means that not even WhatsApp can see your messages. With billions of unencrypted texts still being sent in the country every day, we think it’s important that people in the US understand message privacy and the value of encryption in keeping conversations private.”

The campaign will appear across social, digital video, outdoors and broadcast TV channels throughout the United States.

The UK government has tasked M&C Saatchi with mounting an ‘aggressive’ anti-encryption campaign targeting WhatsApp parent Meta, arguing that the technology is a boon to those engaged in illicit activities including child exploitation.