Meta's plans for more private chats will take longer than the company originally hoped. According to The Guardian, the head security Antigone Davis he warned that the provision of default end-to-end encrypted messages to Facebook Messenger and Instagram will be delayed, coming “sometime in 2023”.
The company originally planned to complete end-to-end encryption in 2022, but wants the extra time to "do it right," Davis said.
Additional encryption is already available activated in the WhatsApp application, but Facebook Messenger and Instagram still require you to start an encrypted conversation ("Secret Chats" in Messenger). To mention, Facebook started a broader push towards encryption and other privacy features starting in 2019.
Of course, no one can say for sure why it has not been completed.
But we can say what is happening in the United Kingdom. The country is preparing a safety law to be issued in 2023 that will require major technology companies to prevent abuse and protect children.
Although she will not directly require backdoors in encryption, the current UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, does not hesitate to oppose the default encryption. He claimed that it would "seriously" limit the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify criminals.
Meta, of course, may face pressure to change its plans when the law goes into effect.
Davis, however, said Meta would have the power to detect abuse through a combination of unencrypted information and user reports.
Delaying end-to-end encryption on Meta services can also be a company ploy to provide time to investigate government responses, thus avoiding potential conflicts.
