Meta discreetly removes end-to-end encryption from Instagram

Instagram has officially ended end-to-end encryption on the platform, meaning users who care about the sanctity of their messages will now have to choose a different platform. The Mark Zuckerberg-led platform had earlier made the big public announcement about bringing encryption to Instagram and other Meta platforms, stating ‘future is private’. The company then began giving users the option of having end-to-end encryption on their Instagram chats in 2022. However, it is now amending the 2022 announcement, saying that it was killing the feature due to low opt-ins by users.

Notably, Meta didn't make a public announcement about the removal of end-to-end encryption on Instagram, and the company also didn't have a standalone blog post for the announcement.

“Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we’re removing this option from Instagram in the coming months. You can keep messaging with end-to-end encryption easily on WhatsApp,” Meta wrote in an update on 9 March this year.

The privacy-focused feature came to an end on 8 May and no chats on Instagram are now end-to-end encrypted (E2EE). Without E2EE encryption, Meta has technically regained the ability to access and read the contents of every direct message shared on the platform.

The messages on the platform are now protected by standard encryption. Meaning while DMs are still technically protected from outside hackers, Meta holds the decryption keys to them. Technically, Meta's automated systems can potentially now scan private conversations for moderation, policy enforcement, and safety investigations.