The company has been using E2E encryption to secure two-person chats since 2016. But unlike WhatsApp or Signal, Facebook Messenger doesn’t use this protocol by default. If you want to protect your data, you’ll have to activate it. But there’s a catch: this update only allows you to turn on E2E encryption when you create a new group chat. If you want to protect the groups you’re already in, you’ll have to delete them and start all over again. It’s a real bummer, but it’s worth it to protect your privacy and that of your friends and family. To activate E2E encryption, create a new chat by tapping the pencil icon in the top right corner of your screen, and then selecting Create a New Group. Finally, just as you would to create an E2E-encrypted one-on-one chat, tap the lock slider that appears in the top right corner of your screen. You’ll notice that the contact list displayed on your screen changes when you tap the slider—this is because the platform filters out users who still don’t have the feature available to them, which is a requisite for E2E encryption. Continue creating your group chat by selecting the participants you want to include, naming the group, and tapping Create. Over email, the company specified there are “numerous technical hurdles to be considered” when it comes to encryption. “We are going to take our time to make sure we get it right and provide the best possible experience,” a spokesperson said. If you’re one of the lucky ones who gets to test this new feature, you’ll see a notification inviting you to activate E2E encryption when you start a new chat. This seems to indicate that if and when the protocol is available on Instagram, it’ll only be for new conversations, just as it is on Facebook Messenger.
