Meta to Start Fully Encrypting Messages on Facebook and Instagram

Meta Platforms will start fully encrypting messages on Facebook and Instagram by default, moving ahead with a privacy measure that government officials and others have warned could hide illegal activity by child predators and other criminals.

The social-media giant starting this week will begin automatically shifting Facebook users to so-called end-to-end encryption for their messages, according to people familiar with the matter, with the change being rolled out over the course of weeks. Direct messages on Instagram also will shift to such encryption by default somewhat later, likely in the New Year, they said.