MLS

Full Title or Meme

The Message Layer Security (MLS) protocol is a security layer for end-to-end encrypting messages in arbitrarily sized groups.

Context

MLS is being standardized by the IETF MLS working group (2022) and designed to be efficient, practical and secure. The adoption of the MLS protocol by Google Messages (2023) brings several benefits in terms of privacy and security. Some of the key pros include:

1. End – to – End Encryption: MLS ensures that messages exchanged within a group are encrypted and can only be decrypted by the intended users.
2. Interoperability: With support for the MLS protocol, Google Messages will be able to chat securely with other messaging platforms that also adopt the protocol.
3. Protection against Eavesdropping: MLS provides protection against eavesdropping by ensuring that messages are only accessible to the chat’s end points.
4. Resistance to Attacks: MLS provides resistance to attacks by ensuring that messages are only accessible to the chat’s end points2.

Google Messages has officially announced the adoption of Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol for its Messages app on all the platforms it supports. The feature aims to make cross-platform messaging safer by relying on end-to-end encryption in group chats. As one of the most popular messaging apps with over 1 billion users, Google Messages is widely used by Android users globally to exchange messages. The app has long used end-to-end encryption, and in 2022, it also introduced the feature to group chats. However, Google in 2023 wanted to take a step further and add Messaging Layer Security (MLS) to the Messages app.