Instagram will not have from 8 May 2026 end-to-end encryption in personal messages between its users, which means that Meta will be able to see the content of the conversations.
Meta had received intense criticism from organizations for the protection of children and from Authorities (FBI, Interpol etc.) who supported that encryption weakened the ability to protect children on the internet.
A representative of the office of the Commissioner of eSafety of Australia stated that strong encryption plays an important role in the protection of privacy and security, however, where it is applied, the platforms should also prevent, detect and address harms.
With end-to-end encryption no intermediary (providers, hackers, governments) can read the data of the users.
However, Meta justified its choice to remove the encryption saying that “few use it”.
“Very few users chose end-to-end encryption in direct messages, therefore we remove this option from Instagram in the coming months,” stated a representative of Meta. “Whoever wants to continue to send messages with end-to-end encryption can easily do it on WhatsApp”.
“When end-to-end encryption is applied without the appropriate safety measures, it can increase the risks and hinder the detection of phenomena such as sexual exploitation of children, as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” he stressed.
Source: Guardian
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