Meta’s parent company announced that all Facebook and Messenger chats will be automatically encrypted.
Only the sender and the recipient can read those messages and calls protected by end-to-end encryption (E2EE). It’s been possible to choose to receive encrypted messages for years, but now it’s becoming the default. The switch to standard encryption has been criticised by some quarters, including the British government and police, who say this will make it difficult for child sexual abuses to be detected on Messenger., reports Technology News UK.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said he was “incredibly disappointed” with Meta’s decision following its joint action against other online harms. “We will continue to work closely with them (Meta) to ensure the safety of children online, but we have to be honest, and from our perspective, this is an important step backwards,” he said.
James Babbage, Director General of Threats at the National Crime Agency, was also highly critical.
“It is extremely disappointing that Meta has decided to implement end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger. Today, our role in protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation has become more difficult,” he said.