Overview
- Instagram updated its help pages and sent in‑app notices confirming E2EE will be removed, with prompts to download affected chats and media before the change.
- Without E2EE, message content can be accessed by Meta for scanning and legal requests, with coverage linking the shift to child‑safety enforcement pressures in the US, UK and EU.
- Meta spokesperson Dina El‑Kassaby Luce said very few users opted into encrypted DMs, which were optional and available only in some regions.
- Users may need to update the app to export archives, and reports warn older encrypted “secret conversations” may not migrate, so backing up data is recommended.
- Unresolved questions include whether calls are affected, how pre‑existing encrypted threads will be treated, and whether any similar changes are planned for Messenger.