Meta says Instagram will no longer support end-to-end encrypted messages starting May 8, saying “very few people” were using E2EE in their DMs

Can you imagine a world where WhatsApp stops offering end-to-end encryption (E2EE)? That's not happening, but a different Meta-owned company …

Android Police 2026-03-14 Karandeep Singh Oberoi

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@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
WhatsApp still maintains end-to-end encryption. But how long do you think that will be true?
@cstanley Christopher Stanley on x
Hey Instagram users, come use X Chat 😎
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
They seem to have quietly abandoned the push for encryption to be a default. And now they're quietly abandoning encryption. This is a big 180.
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
Just in case you don't believe me, here are some resources documenting Meta's very public commitment to default encryption in Instagram DMs. Not “opt in”. https://about.fb.com/... [image]
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
A big tell is the statement by Meta in this article: “very few people were opting in.” Meta knows opt-in encryption doesn't get adoption, which is why their original strategy was to make encryption on by *default* in WhatsApp, Messenger and their other products. [image]
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
Meta appears to be reversing its strong stance on encryption. The first obvious casualty is that they're abandoning and disabling end-to-end encryption in Instagram DMs.
@dominiconpc Dom on x
@stupidtechtakes Further down in the learn more btw.. “We'll be able to see and review up to 30 of the most recent messages sent in a conversation that you choose to report and send to us from your device.”
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
God, they're not even reading the documents they're frantically updating. Check out this one that promises default E2E in Instagram, then (this week) suddenly pretends it was optional. https://about.fb.com/... [image]
@matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x
So much valuable training data Meta will now have access to.
@stupidtechtakes @stupidtechtakes on x
why they doing that [image]
@tuxpizza @tuxpizza on x
Is this the first time a major service has REMOVED end-to-end encryption instead of adding it?
@masnick.com Mike Masnick on bluesky
Meta spent seven years telling us they were working on true end-to-end encryption across all their various messaging apps... and finally rolled it out in 2024. And then less than three years later, they're shutting it off for Instagram? What? — www.androidpolice.com/instagram…
r/technology r on reddit
Instagram to discontinue end-to-end encryption for DMs
r/technews r on reddit
Instagram to discontinue end-to-end encryption for DMs

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Meta says Instagram will no longer support end-to-end encrypted messages starting May 8, saying “very few people” were using E2EE in their DMs

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