Contrary to what Facebook (now Meta) said earlier this year, Instagram and Facebook Messenger are not getting end-to-end encryption by default until 2023, as per a report by The Guardian. Meta had merged Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs last year, as part of its plan to create a unified instant messaging platform that will incorporate WhatsApp as well in the future. Now, while messages on Instagram DMs and Facebook Messenger can be end-to-end encrypted, the option isn’t turned on by default.
Antigonoe Davis, Meta’s head of safety says that the delay in Instagram and Facebook Messenger getting end-to-end encryption by default is getting delayed about user safety. Since end-to-end encryption means only the sender and recipient will be able to see the message, Davis wrote in The Telegraph that the company wants to ensure that end-to-end encryption doesn’t interfere with user safety. Once it becomes available by default, the company will use a combination of non-encrypted data across its apps to help keep them safe.
Earlier this year, Meta had said that end-to-end encryption on Instagram DMs and Facebook Messenger will come sometime in 2022 at the earliest. Now, however, the company’s head of security has said that it wants to get the feature right, so the company plans to delay it until 2023.
As pointed out by The Verge, 2023 is also the year when UKs online safety bill will go into effect. It will require tech giants to keep children from harm and address abusive content. This may hinder Facebook’s plans of bringing end-to-end encryption as authorities can demand access to encrypted content. UK, US< Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, and Japan last year agreed to give local law enforcement backdoor encryption access, which would allow authorities to view encrypted messages and files if there is a warrant.
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