WhatsApp has made a huge stride towards protecting the privacy of its users, turning on end-to-end encryption for its messaging service.

According to the foreign media, he Facebook-owned company has now effectively ensured that no one can read the messages sent by its users other than the recipients, with even WhatsApp itself unable to access them. Though the company has been introducing various encryption features for a number of years, the latest update to the app marks the first time they have fully committed to the idea.

A statement on the WhatsApp blog reads: "The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation."