Instagram, Facebook, And Messenger May Not Get Default Chat Encryption Until 2023
You’ll have to wait a little longer if you’ve been hoping for Facebook Messenger chat encryption.
According to The Guardian, Meta’soriginal plans to make end-to-end encryption a default feature on Facebook Messenger and Instagram will not be implemented until 2023. Last year, Meta merged Messenger and Instagram chats, with ambitions to deliver end-to-end encryption to its social media platforms sometime in 2022, similar to what it gives WhatsApp users. Those plans have now changed.
Facebook Messenger chat encryption delayed for user safety concerns
End-to-end encryption is a good concept. However, introducing the service to Messenger and Instagram has sparked a lot of controversies. Antigone Davis, Meta’s head of safety, claims that this is the primary cause of the latest delay.
“We’re taking our time to get this right,” Davis wrote in a post to The Telegraph. Meta wants to make sure that new privacy settings don’t get in the way of its abilities to fight crime. When end-to-end encryption becomes the default messaging method for Instagram and Facebook Messenger, the company expects to make use of a “combination of non-encrypted data across our apps, account information and reports from users” to keep users secure.
Many officials are concerned about the access that encryption may provide to criminals, particularly kids. Facebook Messenger and Instagram are used by people of all ages, including children. Some believe that this will provide more protection to child abusers and groomers.
As per BGR, Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, has previously criticized the move.
“We cannot allow a situation where law enforcement’s ability to tackle abhorrent criminal acts and protect victims is severely hampered,” Patel said in a report from the BBC in April. Patel says that the move could hamper ongoing operations to bring child abusers to justice.
What is message encryption?
End-to-end encryption is a security feature that ensures that only the sender and recipient of a message can read it. Messages are scrambled during transmission with end-to-end encryption. When the communications reach their intended destination, they are decoded. To view any messages, police enforcement would require access to one of the connected devices.
End-to-end encryption is available through a number of services, including WhatsApp, another Meta feature. Because of the brand’s popularity, Meta’s intentions to introduce encryption to Messenger and Instagram have gotten a lot of attention. Many of the basic messaging services have a significantly smaller readership than social networking sites. People all across the world are familiar with Facebook and Instagram, giving it a broad reach.
