Privacy-conscious Instagram users have had one way to keep their DMs away from Meta’s eyes since 2023: an opt-in Instagram DM encryption feature that scrambled messages so only the sender and recipient could read them. As of May 8, that option is gone.
Meta confirmed the removal, citing low adoption. “Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we’re removing this option from Instagram,” a spokesperson told The Guardian. Instagram DM encryption is now off the table entirely, replaced by standard encryption. That still protects messages while they travel across the internet. However, it means Meta can technically access your message content when needed.
If you had encrypted chats enabled, you should have seen in-app instructions to download any messages or media before the cutoff. Older versions of the app may need updating before the download option appears.
Why This Happened Now
The timing is hard to ignore. The Take It Down Act, a federal law signed by President Trump in May 2025, requires platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images and AI-generated deepfakes within 48 hours of a takedown notice. Platforms have until May 19 to have a removal system in place. End-to-end encryption makes that kind of content moderation impossible since the platform can’t see what users are sending.
Meta hasn’t officially linked the two. However, the 11-day gap between removing Instagram DM encryption and the law’s compliance deadline speaks for itself.
Meta’s other platforms aren’t affected. WhatsApp keeps end-to-end encryption on by default, and Meta has pointed users there as its suggested alternative. That said, a recent lawsuit raised questions about WhatsApp’s encryption too, though security researchers have largely dismissed those claims. If you’re looking for something outside the Meta ecosystem, there are solid encrypted messaging apps worth considering, with Signal being the most widely recommended.
