Gmail planning end-to-end encrypted emails

(The Hill) -- Google announced Tuesday that Gmail users will soon be able to send and receive encrypted emails without a third-party provider.

The new process will allow Gmail users to send end-to-end encrypted messages to "any user on any email inbox with just a few clicks," Google wrote in a blog post Tuesday.

A beta version of the feature was launched on Tuesday, allowing Gmail users within the same organization to send the encrypted emails. Over the next few weeks, users will be able to send end-to-end encrypted messages to any Gmail inbox and eventually to any email inbox later this year.

The feature is expected to significantly simplify the complex end-to-end encryption process Gmail previously offered. Under the old system, IT administrators had to implement Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) for emails containing highly sensitive information.

Google pointed out that few organizations have the resources to implement S/MIME, and even if they do, users had to go through a lengthy process to determine if they have the correct configuration and exchange certificates before the emails can be sent.

"This often results in frustration and the inability to send encrypted emails," the blog post wrote, adding, "We think there should be a simpler and more efficient way."

Under the new system, users will be able to send encrypted messages regardless of who they are being sent to. It will no longer require the users to exchange certificates or use custom software.