Meta is drawing a clear line between its platforms when it comes to encryption. End-to-end encryption will be removed from Instagram DMs starting May 8, 2026, according to a help page update. WhatsApp, meanwhile, will continue to offer the feature to all its users.
Instagram’s encryption had been available since 2023, when Meta finally delivered on Zuckerberg’s 2019 promise of privacy-first messaging. However, the feature required users to opt in, and very few chose to. Meta now says this is the reason it is being retired.
With encryption gone from Instagram, Meta gains the ability to read all DMs on the platform. There will be no distinction between encrypted and non-encrypted users after May 8. Users who want private messaging within the Meta ecosystem are being directed to WhatsApp.
Law enforcement agencies had campaigned for this result on Instagram for years. The FBI, Interpol, and national agencies from Australia and the UK argued encryption was enabling criminal activity. Australia reportedly saw the feature deactivated before the global deadline, suggesting Meta was already rolling back the feature.
Privacy advocates note that pointing users to another Meta-owned platform is not a neutral solution. Tom Sulston of Digital Rights Watch suggested the two-platform approach may reflect strategic business decisions rather than a genuine commitment to privacy. He also warned that access to Instagram DM content could create commercial opportunities that Meta will find difficult to pass up.