Surprise move by Half that he decided to remove end-to-end encryption (E2EE) come on Instagram messagesreturning chats to a standard form of protection in which the platform, under certain conditions, can access the contents. The function was introduced in 2023 as an optional option, hidden among the advanced settings and can only be activated manually by users. A choice that severely limited its diffusion.
A function that is rarely adopted and never made default
According to Meta, the removal is related to the low usage rate. Precisely this data is now used to justify the abandonment of a system considered the most secure standard for digital messaging. Critics, however, point out that the technology, despite the promises made in 2019 by Mark Zuckerberg to make privacy “the future of communications”. The decision comes a few days after the entry into force of the Take It Down Act in the United States, which imposes the removal within 48 hours of non-consensual intimate content. Without access to encrypted messages, several analysts observe, it becomes more difficult to act quickly on urgent reports. The timing fuels the debate between security and digital privacy protection.
What changes for users and what they can do
With the change, Instagram switches to standard encryptionstill safe in data transit but potentially accessible to the platform. There remain alternatives with E2EE active by default such as WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage and Google Messages. Users looking for greater privacy therefore have no choice but to move towards apps that keep end-to-end encryption active by default, or avoid sharing sensitive information in direct messages on Instagram.
The privacy issue
A choice that immediately reopened the discussion on the control of personal data and the future of private messaging. Many cybersecurity experts and privacy activists have indeed interpreted the move as a change of priority of social platforms. Some organizations dealing with the protection of minors argue that access to content can facilitate investigations into online abuse and crime. On the other hand, encryption advocates warn that removing E2EE reduces the protection of personal communications, including images, audio and sensitive messages. The debate also focuses on the role of big tech, including advertising, security and the development of artificial intelligence.
