Discord has introduced end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to its voice and video calling.
The popular messaging and VoIP platform is introducing E2EE, powered by the DAVE protocol, to make calling more private and secure by stopping third parties from accessing users' private communications. This ensures the security of all users' calls, whether in private channels, small group chats, server-based voice channels during larger group conversations, or real-time streaming.
Discord's announcement blog wrote:
End-to-end encryption for audio and video (E2EE A/V) on Discord makes your calls even more private and secure by default. This added layer of security for audio and video calls gives visual confirmation that no one else can listen in on your calls or watch your stream besides the intended participants/viewers."
All of a call's members must support DAVE for the call to become encrypted. Discord's DAVE protocol employs the WebRTC encoded transform API to encrypt audio and video communications before encoding and transmitting them, which are then decrypted and decoded on the receiving end.
Discord says its team meticulously designed DAVE to be compatible with additional safety features while maintaining support for the E2EE experience.
The migration process is already underway on Discord's desktop and mobile applications. Users are invited to update their app to the newest version to benefit from the latest features and improvements. Support for Discord web clients has been promised to follow at a later date.
Discord clarifies that all audio and video conversations in direct messages (DMs), group messages (GDMs), voice channels, and Go Live streams on Discord will soon be E2EE by default.
Messages remain non-encrypted. "Safety is intertwined with our product and policies," Discord's blog wrote. "While audio and video will be end-to-end encrypted, messages on Discord will continue to follow our content moderation approach and are not end-to-end encrypted."
Why Could This Make Discord More Enterprise-Friendly?
E2EE ensures that communications are encrypted at the source and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient, making it impossible for intermediaries, including Discord itself, to access the content. This boosted level of security would address critical concerns for businesses parsing sensitive data, such as intellectual property, financial information, or client comms.
