Instagram to discontinue end-to-end encryption from May 8

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Meta has decided to discontinue end-to-end encrypted chat messaging on Instagram. The change will come into effect from May 8. End-to-end encryption allows only the sender and the receiver to read messages.

With this feature being removed, Meta may be able to access message content when required. This has raised concerns about user privacy. Meta has advised users to download and save their existing encrypted messages and media files before May 8.

Instagram introduced the encrypted messaging feature in 2023. However, the company said it is being withdrawn due to low usage and a lack of wider acceptance among users. With the removal of this feature on Instagram, more users may shift to WhatsApp, which continues to offer end-to-end encryption.