Social networking company Meta says it will hold off plans to roll out default end-to-end messaging encryption for Instagram and Messenger until 2023. Meta (formerly Facebook) previously said it would fully encrypt all of its messaging services by 2022, bringing them into line with WhatsApp, which has offered the feature since 2016. It's of note that Instagram and Messenger currently do provide end-to-end encryption for conversations, but users must activate it on a chat-by-chat basis, and it's not currently available for group messages.
For users, the promise of end-to-end encrypted chats is that only the sender and the recipient can view the communications. If the encryption is handled correctly, then no third-party — not even the service that hosts the messages — can access the content of the chats. (Zoom has previously come under fire for not implementing full encryption.) However, for law enforcement, fully locked-down chat platforms present a challenge. If authorities can't see what's being shared, it can be difficult for them to gather evidence and to shut down any nefarious activities.
Writing in The Telegraph, Meta's head of safety Antigone Davis says the company will properly introduce end-to-end encryption for Instagram and Messenger sometime in 2023. For context, the firm has been promising full encryption for the apps since 2019 and issued a press release in May this year that set a timeline of 2022. But despite the public messaging, Meta has come under fire by safety advocates, many of whom suggest end-to-end encryption could pose a danger for children who use the apps.
Davis says Meta is taking a multi-pronged approach to how it handles messaging going forward. The company promises to use "proactive detection" tools to identify accounts exhibiting suspicious behavior, and accounts for under-18s will be private by default. Davis also notes adults will not be able to message minors unless they are already connected. Davis also says Meta will take action against any inappropriate communications. Of course, on this point, when end-to-end encryption rolls out, the company will probably rely on users reporting inappropriate messages — and encouraging users to do that will undoubtedly take education and trust.
As a company, Meta is under a lot of scrutiny right now. In the wake of whistleblower revelations, lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond are probing the company's impact on its users, with particular attention being paid to how teenagers use Instagram. Amid a slew of criticism, the firm has suspended the development of Instagram Kids — a service targeted at under-13s. Viewed through this lens, it's clear that, as much as Meta wants to offer users fully secure messaging across all its platforms, it cannot afford to make a mistake when it comes to the well-being of its youngest, most vulnerable users.
Source: The Telegraph
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November 22, 2021 at 11:58PM
