Story perspectives

Meta Ends Instagram Chat Encryption, Citing Low Usage

3/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

Meta Platforms, Inc. will discontinue end-to-end encryption for Instagram chat on May 8, 2026, citing low adoption.
The change would permit Meta to access message content.
Introduced in 2023, the feature aimed to ensure only senders and receivers read messages.
Privacy advocates warn the move could set a precedent for privacy protections, and WhatsApp will continue end-to-end encryption.
Users should download their existing encrypted messages and media before the change.

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Story summary

Meta Platforms, Inc. will discontinue end-to-end encryption for Instagram chat on May 8, 2026, citing low adoption.
The change would permit Meta to access message content.
Introduced in 2023, the feature aimed to ensure only senders and receivers read messages.
Privacy advocates warn the move could set a precedent for privacy protections, and WhatsApp will continue end-to-end encryption.
Users should download their existing encrypted messages and media before the change.