Meta removes end‑to‑end encryption for Instagram chats worldwide
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New Delhi: US tech giant Meta Platforms has officially discontinued end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Instagram direct messages globally, marking a major shift away from its earlier privacy-focused messaging approach.
The company said users who already have encrypted chats are being notified within the app and are being urged to download any important messages, photos, videos, or media before the feature is fully phased out.
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and receiver can read messages. With its removal, Meta will now be able to access message content, including photos, videos, and voice notes, if required.
The platform will continue using standard encryption, similar to services like Gmail and other online platforms. This protects messages during transmission between devices and servers, but allows the company to access content when necessary.
Meta had earlier promoted privacy-focused messaging as “the future of communication” and invested years in expanding encryption across its platforms, including Facebook Messenger and Instagram. While Messenger eventually received default E2EE, Instagram’s rollout remained limited.
According to multiple reports, the decision to discontinue E2EE on Instagram was influenced by low user adoption, as only a small portion of users had actively enabled encrypted chats. Critics, however, argued that optional privacy tools often see limited uptake because users must manually activate them.
The move has drawn mixed reactions. Child protection organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children welcomed the rollback, stating that encrypted messaging can make it harder to detect harmful activity and child exploitation online.
Separately, a study involving over 8,000 children found that those spending more than 30 minutes on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat may experience a gradual decline in concentration. The research tracked children from around age 10 to 14, noting increasing daily screen time—from about 30 minutes at age 9 to up to 2.5 hours by age 13, including social media use, video watching, and gaming.
With IANS inputs