Twitter is adding encrypted calling and messaging | CNN Business

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Twitter is adding encrypted messaging to the platform on Wednesday, and calls will follow shortly, according to Elon Musk. he tweeted late tuesday

“Releasing Encrypted DMs [direct messages] V1.0 should happen tomorrow. This will increase in sophistication quickly. The acid test is that I couldn’t see your DMs even if I had a gun to my head,” he said.

“Soon there will be voice and video chat from your handle for anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number.”

The move comes as Musk, who took control of Twitter six months ago, looks for ways to return the platform to growth. Its future looks increasingly uncertain amid declining advertising revenue and increased competition from rivals such as Mastodon and BlueSky, developed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.

Adding encrypted calling and messaging could allow Twitter to compete with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, owner of Facebook ( FB ) Messenger and WhatsApp. Billions of people around the world use these platforms to communicate daily with family and friends, even in groups. Twitter, meanwhile, reported 238 million monetizable daily users last July.

Since taking the company private in October, Musk has put Twitter on his mind. Several users, celebrities and media organizations have said they plan to leave the platform because of the recent policy changes, which they say threaten to make it less safe and reliable.

Right-wing TV host Tucker Carlson said Tuesday he would relaunch his show on Twitter, which he hailed as the world’s only remaining major platform for free speech after Fox News fired him last month.