End-to-end encryption
What is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a way of encrypting a call or message so that only the participants' own devices hold the keys, and no server in between, including the provider's, can decrypt the content. The service still carries the data, but it only ever handles content it cannot read.
How does end-to-end encryption work?
The encryption keys are created on the participants' devices and exchanged between those devices only. Each device encrypts audio, video or messages before they leave it, and only the other participants' devices can decrypt them. Servers in between still route the data, but they handle scrambled bytes.
In a group video call that runs through a media server, an SFU, end-to-end encryption needs a second layer. The normal encryption in transit protects each connection between a device and the server; on top of it, the app encrypts every video frame and audio packet with keys the server never sees. The server can still forward the packets, because it only needs their labels, not their content.
What does end-to-end encryption change in a meeting?
It protects the conversation from anyone who can reach the provider's servers: a compromised machine, a leaked database or an operator. For some sectors and policies that guarantee is a requirement.
| Feature | Effect of end-to-end encryption |
|---|---|
| Cloud recording | Usually unavailable, because the server cannot see the picture or hear the audio. |
| Transcripts and AI summaries | Usually unavailable server-side, for the same reason. |
| Joining by phone or from older apps | Often blocked, because those participants cannot hold the keys. |
| Recovering a lost conversation | Not possible from the provider; only participants' devices ever had it. |
So the real question is not “encrypted or not” but which risk matters more for a given meeting: the provider having access, or losing recording, transcripts and easy joining.
Is Meeto end-to-end encrypted?
No. Meeto calls use WebRTC (DTLS-SRTP) encryption in transit between each device and Meeto's media servers. Every call, including one-to-one calls, passes through those servers, and Meeto does not add an end-to-end layer. Server-side recording and AI processing can access content when the host turns them on.
What Meeto does instead: recording and AI summaries are opt-in features for Pro and Team hosts, and everyone in the call sees an indicator while they run. Meeting content is not used to train AI models. Chat is deleted when the meeting ends. Recorded media is kept for 90 days, and the owner can switch a shared link off. The security overview and the privacy checklist cover these controls.
If your organisation requires end-to-end encryption for every call, Meeto is not the right tool for those meetings.
Frequently asked questions
Is encryption in transit the same as end-to-end encryption?
No. Encryption in transit protects data on its way to a server, and the server can read it once it arrives. End-to-end encryption keeps the content unreadable to every server on the way, including the provider's. Many services that say calls are "encrypted" mean encryption in transit.
Can an end-to-end encrypted meeting be recorded?
A participant's own device can record what it shows, but a cloud recording, an automatic transcript or an AI summary made on the provider's servers needs readable media. That is why services that offer an end-to-end encrypted mode usually switch those features off while it is on.
How can I tell whether a service is really end-to-end encrypted?
Look for documentation that the keys are created and kept on participants' devices, that the provider cannot obtain them, and that features needing server access, such as cloud recording or phone dial-in, are unavailable in that mode. Words like "secure" or "encrypted" alone do not tell you.
If Meeto is not end-to-end encrypted, who can access a call?
The people in the call and Meeto's infrastructure, which relays the media. Server-side recording and AI processing can access content when the host turns them on. Meeting content is not used to train AI models; the privacy policy describes processing and retention.
Put it to work
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