Meta to remove end-to-end encryption from Instagram DMs in May

Meta will discontinue end-to-end encryption for Instagram direct messages on 8 May 2026, removing a privacy feature that prevented anyone, including the company, from reading users’ private conversations. The change affects users globally who had opted into encrypted chats on the platform.

End-to-end encryption, a security system that scrambles messages so only the sender and recipient can read them, was never a default setting on Instagram. Unlike WhatsApp, where encryption protects all chats automatically, Instagram users in select regions had to manually enable the feature for individual conversations.
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson attributed the decision to minimal user interest. “Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we’re removing this option from Instagram in the coming months,” the spokesperson said. “Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp.”

Instagram encryption removal affects privacy options

The removal means Instagram will technically be able to access message content for moderation or other purposes once the feature is retired. Users who currently have encrypted conversations will receive in-app notifications advising them to download any messages or media they wish to preserve before the deadline, according to Instagram’s support page.

For Indian users, this development is significant given Instagram’s growing popularity for personal and business communication. WhatsApp, which Meta owns and where encryption remains default, continues to dominate messaging in India with over 50 crore users. Instagram’s direct messaging feature has increasingly become a secondary communication channel for many users.
Meta’s statement notably did not address the status of encryption on Messenger, its other messaging platform. The company began enabling end-to-end encryption as a default setting on Messenger in 2023 after years of development work. A Messenger support page currently states that Meta “is in the process of securing personal messages with end-to-end encryption by default.”

Meta’s shifting approach to encryption

The company’s position on encrypted messaging has evolved considerably over the past decade. Meta began encrypting WhatsApp chats in 2016. In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s chief, outlined a “privacy-focused” overhaul of Meta’s applications.

“Implementing end-to-end encryption for all private communications is the right thing to do,” Zuckerberg said at the time.
However, implementation faced repeated delays. In 2021, Antigone Davis, Meta’s head of safety, announced the company was postponing its encryption work until 2023 to develop stronger safety features first.

Law enforcement agencies and some child safety organisations have consistently criticised Meta’s use of encryption. These groups argue the technology makes it harder to identify predators who target children on social media platforms.

Child safety concerns raised in New Mexico trial

The tension between privacy and safety has featured prominently in an ongoing trial in New Mexico, United States, concerning child safety on Meta’s platforms. Internal documents that emerged during proceedings show Meta executives and researchers debating the trade-offs between user safety and privacy as they relate to encryption.

In testimony broadcast during the trial, Zuckerberg acknowledged these concerns had slowed development. “Safety issues were a large part of the reason why it took so long” to bring encryption to Messenger, he said.

“There’s been debate about this, but I think the majority of folks, from people who use our products to people who are involved in security overall, believe that strong encryption is positive,” Zuckerberg added.

Privacy advocates argue end-to-end encryption remains one of the strongest protections against hackers, surveillance and data breaches. The removal of this option from Instagram narrows the encrypted communication choices available to users on Meta’s platforms.

Instagram users with encrypted chats have until 8 May 2026 to export their messages. Meta has not indicated whether it plans to reintroduce the feature in future or extend encryption options on Instagram through other means.