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Facebook’s default end-to-end encryption has been delayed until 2023

Meta wants to increase security a bit before enabling end-to-end encryption by default.

Facebook logo on smartphone screen
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UPDATE 8/12/2022 1:30 PM ET: Facebook is testing default end-to-end encryption settings for some users in Messenger. The company is still on track to make end-to-end encryption the default setting for everyone in 2023.

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has been working on privacy within Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The platforms were set to be fitted with end-to-end encryption by the end of the year, but now it looks like it’ll be at least 2023 before that happens.

In a new article from Telegraph, Meta’s head of safety Antigone Davis spoke about the move towards end-to-end encryption by default on Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Instagram and Messenger chats were merged together by the company last year as part of an effort to bring more of the company’s users together across platforms.

So why the delay in default end-to-end encryption? The option already exists for users to turn on end-to-end encryption on Messenger and Instagram (here’s how to turn it on), but it has not yet become the default. Davis said that it is all about user safety.

“We’ll continue engaging with outside experts and developing effective solutions to combat abuse because our work in this area is never done. We’re taking our time to get this right and we don’t plan to finish the global rollout of end-to-end encryption by default across all our messaging services until sometime in 2023,” says Antigone Davis, head of safety at Meta.

With end-to-end encryption, it can be more difficult to identify and thwart dangerous or suspicious activity that happens through messages. Because no one has access to the messages except the sender and receiver, it makes it much more difficult to uncover potentially dangerous content.

Meta says that it is working on ways to increase security, even on end-to-end encrypted messages. The company is developing methods to help prevent harm from coming from Facebook or Instagram messages, and that’s why it has postponed the rollout of default end-to-end encryption until 2023.

Despite any concerns from the outside, Meta is still on board with end-to-end encryption by default on Facebook and Instagram. However, it looks like the company is at least aware of the concerns and is working on ways to increase security on its platforms without giving up user privacy.

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Staff writer at KnowTechie. Alex has two years of experience covering all things technology, from video games to electric cars. He's a gamer at heart, with a passion for first-person shooters and expansive RPGs. Shoot him an email at alex@knowtechie.com

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