Meta has announced the removal of end-to-end encryption from Instagram DMs, effective May 8, 2026. The company said that fewer users were using it. Encryption will continue on WhatsApp.
Taking a big decision, tech company Meta has announced the removal of the end-to-end encryption feature present in Instagram’s direct messages (DMs). According to the company, this feature will not be available on Instagram after May 8, 2026. Meta said in its support page update that very few users were using this feature, hence the decision has been taken to discontinue it.
How encryption worked in Instagram- Like WhatsApp, end-to-end encryption was not on by default on Instagram. It was made available only in certain regions and users had to manually turn it on for every chat.
Meta spokesperson said that very few people were using this feature, so the company is going to remove it. A company spokesperson said, ‘Very few people were using end-to-end encryption in Instagram DMs, so this option will be removed in the coming months. If a user wants to continue encrypted messaging, he can use WhatsApp.
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What will happen on messenger? Meta has not clarified whether any changes will be made in the messenger also or not. The company started implementing default end-to-end encryption on Messenger in 2023 and is still in the process of making this feature more secure.
Meta’s encryption policy- Meta first implemented end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp in 2016. Later in 2019, the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would adopt a privacy-focused strategy on all its messaging platforms.
However, it took time to implement this plan. In 2021, Meta’s security head said that the company was postponing the encryption rollout until 2023 so that better security measures could be created.
Why the controversy over encryption? End-to-end encryption has long been a subject of controversy. Many governments and child safety organizations believe that this technology can make it harder to catch online criminals and people who target children.
Recently, during a child safety trial going on in New Mexico, America, internal documents of Meta have also been presented in the court. These documents mention discussions among company officials on the balance of user privacy and online security.
In a statement given at the trial, Mark Zuckerberg said that it took time to implement encryption on Messenger due to security concerns. According to him, strong encryption is generally considered positive for both users and security experts.
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