Meta to Shut Down Instagram End-to-End Encrypted Chat Support Starting May 2026

2026-03-13

1 min read

by info@thehackernews.com (The Hacker News)

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Meta is discontinuing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) support for Instagram chats after May 8, 2026.

•E2EE for Instagram DMs was first tested in 2021 as part of Zuckerberg's privacy-focused vision and is currently only available in some regions
•Users with affected chats will receive instructions to download their media and messages before the feature is removed
•TikTok similarly announced it has no plans to introduce E2EE for direct messages, citing user safety concerns
•Internal warnings from 2019 reportedly cautioned Meta that E2EE would hinder detection of illegal content such as CSAM and terrorist propaganda
•The European Commission is expected to present a Technology Roadmap on encryption to explore lawful access solutions while preserving cybersecurity rights

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