Instagram End-to-End Encrypted Chat vs Cops: Is a Ban Awaiting?

Instagram end-to-end encryption adds extra security and protection to your messages and calls

Facebook and Instagram will only get end-to-end encryption by default in 2023. End-to-end encryption means no one can read or access the messages other than the two participants involved. Instagram appears to be entering the final stages of its controversial plan to encrypt messages on its platform. Screengrab of the new feature in action on an Instagram account based in India. Earlier this feature was available only in Russia and Ukraine.

WhatsApp, which is also owned by Meta, already has end-to-end encryption by default. Meta, the company that owns Instagram, is blocked from viewing the content of people's chats. Facebook has announced that end-to-end encryption will not be available to users until 2022. Facebook and Instagram have features like secret conversation and vanishing mode.  Moreover, the safety features we've already introduced are designed to work with end-to-end encryption, and they plan to continue building strong safety features in their services. The main update is the addition of end-to-end encrypted chat back-ups for Messenger chats.

End-to-end encryption for extra protection and security of your messages:

End-to-end encryption adds extra security and protection to your messages and calls in a chat so that only you and whomever you're talking to can see, hear or read. The decision to delay the move is because the company wants to ensure that end-to-end encryption does not hamper efforts to stop criminal activity. Every device in an end-to-end encrypted conversation has a special key that's used to protect the conversation. Some users in the South Asian country are now able to activate end-to-end encryption in their IG Direct chats as part of ongoing tests.

It should be noted that Facebook Messenger has an end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls. Additionally, the company said that soon users' deleted messages in Messenger will sync across all of their devices. There's also an end-to-end encrypted chat option in Messenger, though it has to be enabled as a Secret Chat for individual contact. This is a significant step in Meta's broader messaging encryption plan, removing the opt-in element, and shifting people across to the more secure process. Governments argue this essentially gives criminals a freeway, but Meta says they can continue to keep users safe while keeping their conversations private.

The Facebook company said that while users will still have access to their message history, however, all the new messages or calls will be end-to-end encrypted. Other principles stressed at the time were reducing permanence, safety, interoperability among all of Facebook's apps, and secure data storage. Meta also announced that it is testing a new feature called Secure Storage that will secure the backup of Messenger chats with end-to-end encrypted chats. It is available only to people using the Messenger app on mobile devices, and messages are encrypted only after users select the option to mark chats as secret.