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WhatsApp has announced a major plan to keep your conversations protected.

The global messaging service is now equipped with ‘end-to-end’ encryption for every user with the latest version of the app.

The update arrives amid a heightened international debate over how much access law enforcement should have to digital communications and follows a high-profile showdown between Apple and the FBI over an encrypted iPhone linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters. 

It means all phone calls, texts, and even media files are visible only to people included in the thread.

According to a recent WhatsApp Blog post, end-to-end encryption will lock out cybercriminals, hackers, ‘oppressive regimes,’ and even WhatsApp officials to keep your data private.

Messages on the Facebook-owned service will only be visible to the person who has sent them, and the individuals on the receiving end.

The system works by using a ‘lock’ to secure messages between individuals or in a group chat.

This lock is paired with a distinct ‘key,’ which only the sender and the recipients will have.

Each message in the conversation will have its own unique lock and key, the website explains and the exchanges will occur automatically.

Users won’t have to turn on a particular setting to secure their messages – with the latest version of the app, end-to-end encryption will be an automatic feature.

‘We live in a world where more of our data is digitized than ever before,’ the blog post explains.

‘Every day we see stories about sensitive records being improperly accessed or stolen. And if nothing is done, more of people’s digital information and communication will be vulnerable to attack in the years to come.

‘Fortunately, end-to-end encryption protects us from these vulnerabilities.’

The move follows the recent battle between Apple CEO Tim Cook and the FBI over the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists.

Tensions began on December 2 last year when ISIS-inspired terrorist Syed Farook massacred 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and left behind an iPhone 5s which the FBI tried to access.

Apple refused a court order by the FBI to assist its investigation because it claims the Bureau wants it to build a backdoor that could be used to unlock thousands of other devices.

The tech giant says that the row has grave implications in the wider debate about privacy and government surveillance.

As of last week, the FBI was able to hack into the iPhone with help from an Israeli firm.

Despite the recent developments on the topic, WhatsApp’s latest move toward firmer encryption aims to ensure free and secure communications.

In the post, the author recounts growing up under communist rule in the USSR, where free speech was barred.

WhatsApp is one of the few services to offer this type of encryption, the post says, and it will be available to upwards of a billion people who use the app.

‘While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe,’ the post explains, ‘efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people’s information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states.’