The ends in “end-to-end” refer to the beginning and final destination of your data’s journey. What is end-to-end encryption (E2EE) How does end-to-end encryption work What is the difference between E2EE and other security paradigms? Advantages of end-to-end encryption How to use end-to-end encryption What is end-to-end encryption (E2EE)?Įncryption is the process of scrambling data that people can read (for example, a plaintext email) into unreadable ciphertext that only authorized parties can decrypt using the right cryptographic key.Įnd-to-end encryption is the term used for a type of encryption where your data is encrypted at every stage of its journey from one device to another. This article explains what end-to-end encryption is, how it works, and its advantages over other types of encryption. In fact, Proton Mail handles all end-to-end encryption automatically – you don’t need to do anything. However, recent technological advances in device capabilities and secure protocols have enabled services (such as Proton Mail ) to make end-to-end encryption much easier to use. An early iteration of E2EE for email, known as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), required you to handle the encryption keys yourself, making it notoriously difficult even for tech-savvy users. If you send an end-to-end encrypted email, it’s encrypted on your device (your iPhone, Android, or laptop) and isn’t decrypted until it reaches the device of the person you sent the message to.Įnd-to-end encryption (E2EE) has historically been very complicated, which limited who could effectively use it. The most private and secure way to communicate online is by using end-to-end encryption. Last update on MaPublished on May 24, 2022

Protonmail end to end encryption