Meta ends end-to-end encrypted messaging feature on Instagram

Meta has discontinued end-to-end encrypted direct messaging on Instagram, bringing an end to a feature that had been introduced as part of the company’s broader push towards private communication.

The company has informed users with existing encrypted chats through in-app notifications, advising them to save important messages, images and other media before the feature is fully removed.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages. With the feature now withdrawn from Instagram, Meta will retain the ability to access message content, including photos, videos and voice notes, where necessary.

Instagram will continue to use standard encryption, which secures data while it is transmitted between devices and servers but still allows the platform to access content under certain circumstances.

Meta had previously promoted private messaging as “the future of communication” and had spent several years expanding encryption tools across its platforms, including Facebook Messenger. While Facebook Messenger eventually adopted default end-to-end encryption, Instagram’s version remained optional and saw limited use.

According to multiple reports, the company decided to discontinue the feature because relatively few users actively enabled encrypted chats on Instagram.

Privacy advocates, however, argued that optional security tools often struggle with adoption because users are required to manually activate them.

The rollback has been welcomed by some child protection organisations, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which has previously argued that encrypted messaging can make it more difficult to detect online abuse and harmful activity involving children.

The development comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on younger users. A recent study involving more than 8,000 children aged between 10 and 14 found that spending more than 30 minutes daily on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat may contribute to a gradual decline in concentration levels over time.

With IANS inputs