Meta, formerly Facebook, has been pitching an update to the messaging functions of Facebook and Instagram for years that would add end-to-end encryption (E2EE). However, the social media giant has now announced its launch is not taking place anytime before 2023.
Antigone Davis, Meta’s Global Head of Safety, announced the new release timeline on Sunday Telegraph, suggesting the decision follows the “ongoing debate” on how E2EE could be implemented without impeding the law enforcement’s crackdown on online abuse.
Exactly how Meta is going to approach the E2EE implementation on Facebook and Instagram messages is still unclear. But Davis provided an overview, saying, “As we roll out end-to-end encryption we will use a combination of non-encrypted data across our apps, account information and reports from users to keep them safe in a privacy-protected way while assisting public safety efforts.” Davis added that this is the same model Meta has been using on WhatsApp, where E2EE has long been in place while the company has been able to “make vital reports to child safety authorities.”
The use of E2EE on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messages was first reported in 2019. In recent years, Facebook has introduced cross-messaging app features across social networks and mobile apps it owns. E2EE would be an important feature to make the plan work since it is a foundational feature of WhatsApp, a messaging app that is currently used by more than two billion people worldwide.
Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, former acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel and Australia’s then-Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton (currently Minister for Defence) have co-signed an open letter in response to Facebook’s planned E2EE across apps. One of their demands was that Facebook and tech companies should “enable law enforcement to obtain lawful access to content in a readable and usable format” amid plans of introducing wider privacy and encryption features.
Meta doubled down on its plans of expanding the use of E2EE outside WhatsApp this year. The company introduced E2EE for Messenger voice and video calls, along with the confirmation that it plans on adding the same security feature to Messenger group chats and calls, along with an opt-in E2EE for Instagram DMs.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash


Alphabet Earnings Surge on AI Growth, Cloud Revenue, and Strong Search Performance
$16B Michigan Data Center Project Boosts U.S. AI Infrastructure Expansion
Seagate Stock Surges After Strong Q3 Earnings Beat and Bullish Outlook
Meta Raises 2026 Capex Outlook Amid AI Spending Surge, Shares Drop After Earnings
U.S. Demand for Alternative Satellite Providers Remains Strong Amid SpaceX Regulatory Push
DeepSeek Slashes AI Model Pricing to Boost Adoption and Challenge Global Rivals
Advantest Stock Falls on Weak Outlook Despite Strong AI-Driven Results
FBI Warns of China’s Expanding Hack-for-Hire Network Amid Extradition Case
TSMC Exits Arm Holdings with $231 Million Share Sale Amid Strategic Portfolio Shift
Samsung Reports Record Profit as AI Boom Drives Memory Chip Demand
Amazon Stock Rises as Meta Expands AWS Partnership for AI Infrastructure
U.S. Raises Alarm Over Chinese AI Firms’ Alleged IP Theft Through Model Distillation
Taiwan Activates Backup Communications After Undersea Cable Break on Dongyin Island
OpenAI Faces Revenue Pressure and User Growth Challenges Ahead of IPO
Qualcomm Stock Surges Despite Weak Guidance After Q2 2026 Earnings Beat
SMC Corp Stock Surges as Palliser Capital Pushes for Major Share Buyback 



