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New Delhi: Meta’s photo and short-video sharing platform, Instagram, will stop supporting end-to-end encrypted messaging, amidst a wide push towards international regulators to pull down on illegal content being transmitted through these channels. Meta, for its part, since 2019, the brand has defended its plans for end-to-end encryption amid criticism, while working through the technical challenge of bringing the technology to Facebook and Instagram.

However, Meta pointed towards low adoption rates among users for the end-to-end encryption, according to multiple media outlets. Meta notes in its Help Centre page that end-to-end encrypted messages and calls ensured that only the sender and the people they were communicating with could see or listen to what was being shared. However, this won’t be the case from here on. 

Back in March, the company had said in an update to its Help Centre page that, “End-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram will no longer be supported after 8 May 2026.” Authorities across the world are concerned about pro-terrorism content, pirated media, or child abuse material being sent through end-to-end encrypted messaging services.

How encryption works

Standard encryption means an internet service provider can access private material if required. It is the common system in quite a few major online services, including the likes of Gmail. Digital rights advocates have argued against the decay of adults’ privacy and the falling number of services that provide secure end-to-end encrypted messaging services. 

Meta has said that if users have chats that will be affected by this change, they will get instructions on how to download any media or messages for safety purposes. If the user has an older version of Instagram, Meta said the app update might be required for them to download the affected chat content and media. Meta’s messaging service WhatsApp still comes with end-to-end encrypted messaging.

Meta is yet to clarify what will happen with the contents of the existing Instagram messages after the new policy comes into effect. Back in 2019, Meta had pledged to bring the technology across all messaging on Facebook and Instagram, noting that the “future is private”. The company had brought the rollout on Facebook Messenger in 2023, and later made the feature optional on Instagram with plans to make it default. 

However, after seven years, Meta has decided not to bring the wider deployment to Instagram, which will now only come with standard encryption. Very recently, Instagram even deleted fake accounts owing to