Meta is developing a new technology known as Private Processing for WhatsApp, designed to provide users with access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools in a confidential and secure setting. On Tuesday, the California-based tech company unveiled an initial glimpse of this technology, emphasizing its commitment to data security and user transparency. Importantly, Meta asserts that any messages exchanged with the AI and the corresponding responses generated within this cloud-based system are inaccessible to anyone—including Meta and WhatsApp—except the user and the intended recipients of those messages.
The company elaborated on the vision behind Private Processing, outlining the layered infrastructure that will facilitate the creation of this secure environment. Currently under development, Meta indicated that it will soon disclose further details concerning the components involved in building this technology, aiming to foster independent research in the field.
Private Processing is intended to enable users to interact with Meta AI, offering functionalities such as summarizing unread chats and generating writing suggestions without compromising user privacy. This initiative also addresses Meta’s challenge of incorporating AI into WhatsApp while alleviating user concerns about the potential storage of data on its servers and the risk of undermining the platform’s end-to-end message encryption.
The foundation of Private Processing is a trusted execution environment (TEE) infrastructure, a secure section of the cloud that processes data confidentially. For example, if a user requests the AI to summarize messages from a group chat, only the user’s device and the secure processing environment will have access to that data. Furthermore, once the summary is completed, the information is promptly deleted from the servers.
In terms of technical specifics, Meta stated that Private Processing employs sophisticated cryptographic techniques such as Oblivious HTTP and Remote Attestation to maintain user anonymity and data security. Each request passes through third-party relays and is validated against public ledgers to ensure the utilization of only approved code.
The company highlighted that this secure processing environment ensures that neither Meta nor WhatsApp can view the data entering the cloud, whether it’s during transit or while the data is being processed.
To enhance system integrity, Meta has implemented enforceable safeguards. Should there be any attempts to alter the system, an automatic failure will be triggered. The company also expressed intentions to allow users and security researchers to audit the secure environment and confirm the promised protections.
These security measures, however, primarily address potential internal vulnerabilities. To combat external threats, Meta has introduced additional safety protocols. Cyberattackers would find it difficult to target individual users without compromising the overall system. Additionally, since data is only temporarily stored on the server, even a comprehensive server-wide attack would not allow access to previously stored information.
In the upcoming weeks, Meta plans to share more information, including technical papers and expansions to its bug bounty program. Initial features of Private Processing will include AI-powered capabilities such as message summarization, with plans for further applications in the future. For additional details, readers can view the complete blog post here.
