Meta will soon stop supporting end-to-end encryption in Instagram messages.
The company announced in an update on its support page that this feature “will not be supported after May 8, 2026.”
Unlike WhatsApp, Meta has not implemented end-to-end encryption for all Instagram users. This setting was not a default, but was available to users in “some regions” to activate encryption in each conversation separately, as stated by the “Engadget” website, which specializes in technology news, and which “Arabia Business” reviewed.
A Meta spokesperson explained in a statement that the reason this feature was discontinued was due to its poor usage, saying: “Very few people were opting for end-to-end encrypted messages in private messages, so we will be removing this option from Instagram in the coming months.”
The spokesman added that users who wish to continue using end-to-end encryption can do so easily via WhatsApp.
Meta began testing end-to-end encryption for Instagram direct messages in 2021, as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “privacy-focused social media” vision.
This decision comes a few days after the TikTok platform announced that it does not intend to add end-to-end encryption to protect direct messages on its platform. TikTok told the BBC that this technology reduces the safety of users, and that it seeks to protect users, especially young people, from any harm.
Late last month, Reuters reported that Meta was moving forward with its plans to adopt encrypted messaging services on Facebook and Instagram, despite internal warnings issued in 2019 indicating that this would hinder the company’s ability to detect illegal activity, such as child sexual exploitation material or terrorist propaganda, and report them to law enforcement authorities.
End-to-end encryption is an important privacy tool, as it ensures that only relevant users are able to decrypt and read messages, protecting data from unauthorized access or interception by service providers, malicious actors, and other third parties.
Meta’s use of encryption has long been criticized by law enforcement and some child protection organizations, who see the feature as hampering efforts to catch predators who target children on social media.
This issue recently came to light in a New Mexico trial involving child safety. Internal documents that emerged during the trial revealed discussions between Meta executives and researchers about balancing security and privacy with respect to encryption.
