Elaine Burke

Instagram is more than a direct messaging app, but WhatsApp is certainly end-to-end encrypted.

If you use iMessage, the default Apple messaging app, that's end-to-end encrypted.

Google Messages is end-to-end encrypted.

But something people might not be aware of is it doesn't work cross-functionally across apps.

So on iMessage, as an Apple user, I can text someone who's on an Android phone using Google Messages online.

But those messages are not end to end encrypted.

So it's actually something that's limited to the platform itself.

So I think that's why people tend to favor things like WhatsApp, because you're usually, you know, you're not cross messaging across apps.

It stays within that platform.

I think what's really interesting in the context of this, the messaging from Meta is that they've said that there's been a lack of user uptake of the end-to-end encryption is something that you opt into as a user.

Now, it's already been proven by Meta's own internal testing and things like that, that opt-in isn't really the way to go about trying to enable this feature broadly across a user base.

So that doesn't really wash as the real reason here.

But if you look at social media trends over the last couple of years,

The way individuals use these accounts, so not content creators, not media personalities, not media platforms, people are deferring more to using direct messaging rather than posting things themselves.

People are getting more private on these very public platforms.

And if it's end-to-end encrypted in those messaging spaces and that's where the user activity is happening,

Well, then Instagram loses more of its opportunity to profile you and target advertising at you based on your interests and based on what your likes are.

So now they have access to those messages, no matter who's using the app, because there's no opt in there for end to end encryption.

They will be able to use those messages in their ad targeting and profiling.

Definitely, that's a concern that has been raised because Meta owns both platforms.