Chapter 1: What does Instagram's decision to switch off end-to-end encryption mean for users?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance. Well, today, Instagram has switched off their privacy tech for direct messages, no longer providing end-to-end encryption. So what does it mean and how will it impact you? I'm joined now by the host of the For Tech's Sake podcast, Elaine Burke. Good morning, Elaine. Good morning.
So does this mean that they're interested in reading our messages or interested in selling us stuff?
I think generally speaking, that's both correct because that is the job of Instagram. It is an ad tech revenue model that they're based on. They sell this ability to target advertising at the vast amount of users that they have.
Chapter 2: How does Instagram's ad revenue model influence user privacy?
And with end-to-end encryption enabled, essentially the platform itself can't read your messages when that's switched on. If you think of it as like when you're sending messages through the post and you see the message in an envelope and you expect that that envelope is not going to be opened until the receiver gets it.
I see the message before it goes in the envelope and the receiver gets it at the end. It's similar to that when you've got encryption enabled that the message in transit and in transmission can't be seen by the platform or hacked unless someone's getting into some serious abilities to decrypt these things. So it's like WhatsApp Elaine, isn't it?
Like WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, isn't it?
Exactly, yeah. It's seen as kind of the gold standard in direct messaging apps. 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.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of losing end-to-end encryption on Instagram messages?
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.
So why now? Why have they made this decision?
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.
Chapter 4: Why did Instagram opt to disable end-to-end encryption now?
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.
So then we start to ask questions about whether WhatsApp might go down the same road.
Chapter 5: How might this change affect law enforcement access to messages?
Definitely, that's a concern that has been raised because Meta owns both platforms. But for me, my analysis on that would be that when it comes to WhatsApp, there is no ad tech business that's really attached to WhatsApp. Where it makes money as a business service is... providing businesses with the ability to message with customers.
And I'd imagine that business communications and things like that, they would probably prefer to keep that as something that people can do privately if they're liaising with the business through WhatsApp. So I see that as a selling point for the thing that makes the money off of WhatsApp to have it end-to-end encrypted. So I'd see there's less danger there for them to take it away there.
But let's not say it's not possible or being considered.
And just going back then to what Instagram have decided to do, and I know some of the child protection organisations and groups have welcomed this, but will it be the case that if a crime is committed or may be committed, that there will be somebody keeping an eye on that from Instagram, from Meta?
It means that law enforcement could make requests to access that information and Instagram actually has it to give.
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Chapter 6: What concerns do users have about Instagram's data usage and AI training?
When things are end-to-end encryption, a platform can literally say to those requests, like, we can't comply with this request because we can't access that information. That's how the protocol works. But the thing is, the ends are always still open as well.
So if it is a case that there's investigations happening, you do hear sometimes of investigations getting access to messages and things like that, because if they access a phone that is part of this messaging circuit, they can see it on the open end. So the receiver or the sender has the visibility on their phone.
So there's other ways that law enforcement can access messaging in these kinds of investigations.
It is fascinating though, I mean, going back to where you started, that a lot of our activity now is happening on social media in private, not the public posts that we want everybody to see and the big companies are going, we need a slice of that action.
yeah and also there is suspicion that um this will be used for ai training as well now instagram has said before that they won't use messages in their ai training but maybe they will change their minds on that now that they can access messages more easily and more openly and that enables them to build maybe better conversational chatbots based on real life conversation so people are concerned about that as well and recently as well a lot of people don't seem to be aware of this
Instagram made changes to the way it accesses your photographs. And the way this option was presented to users, it wasn't really clear in the option that came up as a pop-up when they said, do you want us to be able to access your photos in a more seamless way that makes it easier for you when you're posting?
But what a lot of people did there was they gave access for Instagram to be able to see every photograph on your phone, whether you are deciding to post that or share that to Instagram or not, if they agreed to that.
Yeah, we don't realise, do we, what we are giving away. Elaine, thanks so much for being with us. Elaine Burke there, host of the For Tech's Sake podcast.
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