Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee Statement raises concerns over Meta’s plan to remove encryption from Instagram

A coalition of digital rights organisations has expressed concern over Meta’s decision to remove end-to-end encryption (E2EE) from Instagram direct messages.

The concerns were outlined in a statement by the Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee, which argues that the move could weaken privacy protections for millions of users.

End-to-end encryption is a technology that ensures only the sender and recipient can read messages, preventing access by companies, governments, or third parties. It is commonly used in messaging services such as WhatsApp.

According to the coalition, removing this feature may increase exposure to surveillance and data interception, particularly affecting journalists, activists, and other users who rely on secure communication.

The organisations also note that encryption on Instagram had been available only as an optional feature, requiring users to enable it manually. They argue that low uptake does not justify removing the feature, and instead call for encryption to be enabled by default.

The coalition has called on Meta to reverse its decision and to reaffirm its commitment to encryption across its messaging services.