Meta, the company that controls Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, does not plan to implement end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default on Messenger and Instagram until 2023. According to what is reported by The Guardian, behind the decision of the social network giant there are numerous criticisms received from many associations that deal with the protection of minors: the fear, in fact, is that Meta’s encryption system can be exploited by those who abuse minors to make their crimes more difficult to identify and, consequently, to fight.
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But some governments have also criticized Meta’s projects, such as the British one, whose Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, defined the goal that Mark Zuckerberg was aiming for as “simply not acceptable”.
Recall that WhatsApp can already count on end-to-end encryption by default while for Facebook Messenger and Instagram this step will probably be reached only in the course of 2023 (until then it will therefore be necessary to activate it manually).
Since end-to-end encryption means that only the sender and recipient will see their conversations, the Meta team wants to make sure this doesn’t interfere with the platform’s ability to help stop possible criminal activity.
Once this encryption system is available by default, Meta will leverage a combination of unencrypted data across the company’s various apps, account information and user report to keep the security level as high as possible, all while ensuring every effort to maintain public safety.
After all, encryption in communications is a delicate topic, as if it is true that there are the interests of minors to be protected, it is also true that most users want their conversations to be visible only to the recipients and to be protected. by hackers, criminals, overly “curious” governments, or by those who manage the messaging service used.