Meta (Facebook) has delayed the activation of end-to-end encrypted messages (E2EE) on Instagram and Facebook Messenger . The company will not implement this feature until 2023 due to concerns by child safety experts, who say that encryption will avoid detecting abusers using the platform, according to The Guardian.
Mark Zuckerberg's company, remember, announced a merger between Facebook Messenger and Instagram direct messages in 2020. This brought with it several new features, such as the possibility of activating point-to-point encryption as an option. That is, the user can decide whether or not to use this security feature from the chat details. The option, however, is not enabled by default for all Internet users , as it does in WhatsApp. The function was scheduled to roll out in 2022.
However, experts on child protection are concerned that encryption on platforms such as Instagram or Facebook Messenger could pose a threat to the safety of minors who use these applications. Countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and India, also request a “back door” to be able to access encrypted content if necessary .
Meta, however, maintains its plans to activate an end-to-end encryption and they do not believe that the solution of the different administrations is the correct one. The delay, yes, and according to Antigone Davis, Meta's security chief, will serve to guarantee an encryption that does not prevent the ability to detect criminal activity .
The justified delay of end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger
But how is it possible considering that messages will only be shared between users? Davis mentions, through The Telegraph, some systems capable of detecting people who could pose a threat to security . Among them, a technology that can locate and restrict users who create fake Instagram profiles or send a large number of messages to a large number of people.
As we roll out end-to-end encryption, we will use a combination of unencrypted data in our applications, account information, and user reports to keep them safe and privacy-protected. All of this while helping public safety efforts.
The top security officer at Mark Zuckerberg's company also mentions some of the child protection measures that Instagram works on. For example, the possibility that users under 18 years of age who access Instagram do so with a private account by default a. This may also be restricted in terms of sending messages and may be supervised by their parents or guardians.
