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--- services:matrix:encryption [2021/08/10 14:08] – [Verifying a session] update session verification to newer screens behrmj87
+++ services:matrix:encryption [2021/08/10 14:39] – [The somewhat short story] behrmj87
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==== The somewhat short story ====
-When using encryption in a room (or direct chat) all messages in that chat will be encrypted. Everyone of your clients (e.g. the webclient at meet.physik.fu-berlin.de or Element on your phone) will have a session with its own keys. This is mostly transparent to you as a user, but you must always hold either of the following to be true:
+Some chats you encounter will be encrypted. Direct conversations are encrypted by default and encryption for rooms for multiple people can be switched on. When using encryption in a room (or direct chat) all messages in that chat will be encrypted. Each of your clients (e.g. the web client at meet.physik.fu-berlin.de or Element on your phone) will have a session with its own keys. This is mostly transparent to you as a user, but you must always hold either of the following to be true to keep access to your old encrypted messages:
     * Have one running session (in a browser on your computer, on your phone, wherever), so that new sessions can authenticate against the running session (cross-signing, described below), or
     * have access to your recovery passphrase (that you should create when you first log in) to recover your encryption keys when you log into a new session and have no other running sessions to authenticate against.
-If either of this is the case, you will keep access to your old encrypted messages, so generate a recovery passphrase and save it in your password safe.
+This means, that if you do have encrypted messages, e.g. in a direct chat, and you were only logged into one session, e.g. only in the web client, and you don't have a Security Phrase or Security Key set up, i.e. you log out and decline to set one up, when asked, you will lose access to those messages.
+This may sound difficult, but it's not. Read on for what you need to do.
 ==== Setting up encryption for the first time ====