"Getty Images Instagram users will no longer be able to send ultraprivate direct messages, as the feature is switched off globally. The removal of endtoend encryption (E2EE) on messages amounts to a major Uturn by parent company Meta, which previously championed the tech as the gold standard for user privacy. E2EE is the most secure form of online messaging - allowing only the sender and recipient to view messages - but has long been opposed by campaigners who say it allows extreme content to be spread online without the authorities being able to intervene."
"By switching off E2EE, Instagram will now be able to access all the content of direct messages, including images, videos and voice notes. In 2019, Meta pledged to introduce the technology across messaging on Facebook and Instagram, saying "the future is private". The company completed the rollout on Facebook Messenger in 2023 and later made the feature optional on Instagram with plans to make it default. But, after seven years, Meta has decided not to proceed with the wider deployment to Instagram, which will now only offer standard encryption."
"Standard encryption means an internet service provider can access private material if needed. It is the common system in most major online services such as Gmail. The decision has been welcomed by child protection groups, including the NSPCC, which has long warned the technology could put children at risk. "We are really pleased," said Rani Govender from the charity, adding E2EE "can allow perpetrators to evade detection, enabling the grooming and abuse of children to go unseen.""
"Privacy campaigners, however, say the move represents a step backwards. Maya Thomas from Big Brother Watch was "disappointed" by the decision and said E2EE was "one of the key ways children can keep their data safe online, so we're "
Getty Images Instagram users will no longer be able to send ultraprivate direct messages because the feature is switched off globally. End-to-end encryption is removed, meaning only standard encryption remains. End-to-end encryption would have limited message viewing to the sender and recipient, but campaigners have argued it can enable extreme content to spread without authorities being able to intervene. Child protection groups welcomed the change, saying end-to-end encryption can help perpetrators evade detection and enable grooming and abuse to go unseen. Privacy advocates condemned the move as a step backwards, arguing end-to-end encryption helps keep users’ data safe online. Meta previously pledged to expand end-to-end encryption across Facebook and Instagram, completed rollout on Messenger, and made it optional on Instagram before stopping wider deployment.
Read at www.bbc.com
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