Using Instagram to connect with friends? Beware! Your chats may be at risk

Private WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted. This means, no one other than the sender and receiver of the message can see/read it, including WhatsApp and even parent company Meta. But that’s not the case with the popular photo-sharing app Instagram and even Facebook Messenger.

Is Instagram and Facebook Messenger safe to use?

Meta’s Global safety chief Antigone Davis, chats on Instagram and Facebook Messenger will not be completely end-to-end encrypted until 2023. Davis previously promised to make chats on both platforms end-to-end encrypted by default. The latest report shows it may not happen anytime soon.

Davis wrote in the UK newspaper The Sunday Telegraph about Meta’s efforts to preserve childrens’ safety on all its platforms. He wrote, “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.”

In April 2021, Davis told The Telegraph that the company will finish making Facebook and Instagram messenger end-to-end encrypted by 2022.

This suggests that until chats on both these platforms are end-to-end encrypted, chances of them getting leaked get higher. As explained, end-to-end encryption will make all chats and conversations happening on the platform secure by default.

WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted

All private chats exchanged on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted. This means, no one, including WhatsApp and Meta, apart from the sender and receiver of the messages can read or see the messages. Business chats are not end-to-end encrypted.

Meta is fighting a political battle over end-to-end encryption in the UK, especially around child safety. The company is trying its level best to make its platform secure and safer for users, especially teens and kids, to use on a regular basis.

Davis noted, “we believe people shouldn’t have to choose between privacy and safety, which is why we are building strong safety measures into our plans and engaging with privacy and safety experts, civil society, and governments to make sure we get this right.”

WhatsApp offers a wide range of privacy and security features including hiding last seen and profile photo, blocking, and much more. The instant messaging introduces two new privacy features this week, including flash calls and message level reporting. Read about these new features.

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