End-to-end encryption is a method that protects messages from access by platforms and hackers, as reported by Euronews.
After criticism from authorities and children's rights organizations, which claim that private chats hinder the protection of children online, Meta decided to abandon end-to-end encryption in Instagram.
The essence of end-to-end encryption is that only the recipients can read the messages, as each device has a unique secret key for encrypting and decrypting data. When one device sends a message, it "locks" it, and only the recipient's device can unlock it, making it impossible for Meta to access the content of these messages, as the company stated in its message (source in English).
According to an update from Instagram's help center (source in English), support for end-to-end encryption will be discontinued on May 8. Euronews Next reached out to Meta for additional comments regarding the changes in encryption policy, but no response was received.
Thus, Meta will be able to access the content of users' messages, which was previously only possible in unencrypted chats.
As early as 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated (source in English) the intention to transition Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp to encrypted communication, but this was only realized in 2023.
The company's plans to implement encryption have sparked protests from several organizations, such as the British charity Internet Watch Foundation (source in English), the UK's National Child Protection Task Force (source in English), and the Virtual Global Taskforce, which unites 15 law enforcement agencies.
These organizations argue that encryption makes it difficult for police to track materials related to child sexual abuse (CSAM) that are distributed through social networks.
The Virtual Global Taskforce characterized Meta's encryption plans as "a conscious step that reduces the effectiveness of safety systems and weakens the protection of child users," as stated in a statement (source in English) published by the group in 2024.
End-to-end encryption is already used by default in messaging apps like Signal (source in English), Apple’s iMessage (source in English), Google Messages (source in English), as well as on other Meta platforms, including WhatsApp (source in English) and Facebook Messenger (source in English).
The post about Meta canceling end-to-end encryption for messages in Instagram was first published on K-News.
