Meta has announced that it will be removing the end-to-end encryption feature on its direct messaging service on Instagram, with the change scheduled to take effect on May 8, 2026.
The company made the announcement through its support page, where it also notified its users of the upcoming change. Meta has stated that end-to-end encryption on its Instagram platform will no longer be supported after May 8, 2026.
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A spokesperson for Meta, Dina El‑Kassaby Luce, told The Verge that the company decided to remove the feature because only a small number of users had enabled it. “With end-to-end encryption enabled for both users, messages and calls cannot be accessed by outside parties, including Meta, unless participants choose to share them,”
Debate over encryption and online safety
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and the receiver can read messages, and third parties such as the operators of the platforms cannot access the content of the messages.
The technology has been a subject of debate in the technology sector for a long time. While privacy activists believe that encryption helps protect users from surveillance and unauthorised access to their data, others believe that it also makes it difficult for law enforcers to track criminal activity online.
Technology firms such as Meta have been criticised for sharing user data with law enforcers and providing end-to-end encryption messaging services that can conceal illegal activities.
For example, TikTok does not offer end-to-end encryption for direct messages. The platform has said the decision is based on safety concerns and the need to allow internal safety teams and law-enforcement agencies to access chat data when necessary.
Encryption still available on other Meta platforms
Although the feature is being removed from Instagram DMs, Meta said end-to-end encryption will continue to be available on other messaging services it owns.
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Users seeking encrypted messaging can still use WhatsApp, which provides end-to-end encryption by default for chats and calls. Meta also said encrypted messaging will remain available on Facebook Messenger.
The change marks another shift in Meta’s messaging strategy as the company adjusts features across its social platforms based on user behaviour and safety considerations.
