End-to-end encryption (E2EE) has become a standard feature in many pieces of software and now it can be enabled in one-on-one Teams calls.
Microsoft has been testing the waters for this functionality since October and as of Wednesday it is now an option for all users. The firm says that enterprise customers throughout the US and Europe are already rolling E2EE out for Teams calls.
For businesses using Teams, administrators will need to configure the policy for the feature as well as enabled the functionality for users. Once enabled, users will be able to turn on E2EE. To be completely clear, both users on the call must enable E2EE for the call to be encrypted.
When a call is protected by E2EE you will see an indicator in the upper left-hand corner of the window.
“If a call is successfully end-to-end encrypted, both parties will see the end-to-end encryption indicator on the Teams call window. The Teams end-to-end encryption indicator is a shield with a lock,” explains Microsoft. “Hover over the end-to-end encryption indicator to display confirmation the call is end-to-end encrypted. Teams also displays a security code for the call. To confirm that end-to-end encryption is working correctly, verify that the same security code appears for both parties in the call.”
Unfortunately, the trade-off for E2EE is that certain features will no longer be accessible. These include:
- Recording
- Live caption and transcription
- Call transfer (blind, safe, and consult)
- Call Park
- Call Merge
- Call Companion and transfer to another device
- Add participant to make the one-to-one call a group call
While this makes sense it’s not an ideal situation especially if you are recording a call for notes or for your records.
At least the functionality is there if you need it though right?
