End-to-end encryption allowed messages to only be read by the sender and recipient – not Meta itself.
This means Meta will now be able to view the contents of all Instagram messages, whereas previously it could not access chats where encryption had been enabled.
Meta cited low usage of the feature as a reason for removing it.
So, what does this actually mean for users?
Encryption
Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Sydney Dr Qiang Tang explained to TDA that end-to-end encryption is like a “sealed envelope,” ensuring information can only be seen by the sender and the recipient.
End-to-end encryption works by scrambling messages into unreadable code before they leave a user’s device.
Only the intended recipient has the digital “key” needed to decode the message.
This means even the platform hosting the conversation cannot access the contents of encrypted chats.
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Update
Prior to 8 May, Instagram users could choose whether they wanted their messages to be end-to-end encrypted.
Now, that option has been removed.
Some online safety advocates had urged Meta to scrap the feature, arguing it could make it harder to detect harmful behaviour involving children online.
An eSafety spokesperson told TDA that “strong encryption plays an important role in protecting privacy,” but said it does not “remove a platform’s responsibility to prevent harm”.
Senior Research Associate at the University of Sydney Dr Rob Nicholls told TDA: “It’s a huge change... it was only [in] 2019… that Meta committed to… privacy absolutism for messaging and now they’ve walked back from that.”
He said: “If you’re doing nothing wrong, you can expect privacy in your communications. If you’re doing something which is criminal, your expectations might be disappointed.”
Meta response
“Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we’re removing this option. Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp,” according to a Meta
spokesperson in an emailed statement to TDA.
