NEW YORK — Meta is introducing end-to-end encryption for calls and messages on its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday.
Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and recipient – not even Meta – can decipher people's messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in Messenger in 2016, will now be the default for all users going forward, according to Messenger head Loredana Crisan.
“It took years to make this happen because we took the time to get this right,” Crisan wrote in a blog post. “Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to bring end-to-end encryption to its platforms in 2019 after the social media company faced a series of high-profile scandals, most notably when Cambridge Analytica gained access to user data on Facebook. Privacy advocates are putting Meta back in the spotlight after Nebraska researchers looked at private Facebook messages while investigating an abortion that violated a 20-week state ban.
Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, says the feature can help protect users from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.
Meanwhile, encryption critics, law enforcement officials, and even a 2022 Meta report point to the risks of improved encryption, including users who could abuse the privacy feature to sexually exploit children, facilitate human trafficking, and spread hate speech.
“What will Meta's bosses say to child victims of sexual abuse, whose trauma will be exacerbated by their decision not to protect their privacy? How will they justify turning a blind eye to this illegal and harmful content being spread through their platforms?” said Susie Hargreaves, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation. “The company has a strong track record of detecting large quantities child sexual abuse material before it appears. on its platforms. We urge Meta to continue this vital protection.”
The new features will be available immediately, but Crisan wrote that it would take some time for the privacy feature to be rolled out to all users.