Meta Starts Fully Encrypting Messages on Facebook and Messenger

Meta Platforms has rolled out end-to-end encryption for all personal chats and calls on both Messenger and Facebook. The end-to-end encryption feature will be available for use immediately, the social media giant said, but it may take some time for all Messenger accounts to be updated with the new technology.

Messenger users have had the option to turn on end-to-end encryption since 2016. This feature allows messages to be read only by the sender and its recipients. Once this change is implemented, messages will be thereafter encrypted by default. This encryption can help keep users safe from hackers.

Meta’s blog post reveals the encryption for personal messages and calls on both Facebook and Messenger, along with a suite of features that allow users to further control their experience. These features are part of the company’s responsible effort to ensure a safer, more secure, and private service.

“We’ve introduced new privacy, safety and control features along the way like delivery controls that let people choose who can message them, and app lock, alongside existing safety features like report, block and message requests. We worked closely with outside experts, academics, advocates and governments to identify risks and build mitigations to ensure that privacy and safety go hand-in-hand,” the post reads.

Meta has also added an editing messages feature for messages that users want to change for up to 15 minutes after sending them. Meta will be able to see the previous versions of the edited message. Disappearing messages on Messenger, which currently last for 24 hours after sending, will be improved to make it easier to tell when disappearing messages are turned on.

The change will roll into Instagram as well sometime in 2024, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. However, encryption is not without its critics. Critics of the rollout include U.S. law enforcement agencies, who have argued that encrypted messages can shield criminals, including child predators and terrorists.