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Episode details

World Service,11 May 2026,10 mins

Instagram can now read your DMs

What in the World

Available for over a year

Instagram has switched off one of its privacy policy options - end‑to‑end encryption. If an app has it, it means your messages can only be read by the sender and the recipient. But now Meta, who owns Insta has turned off that option. And it doesn’t just own Instagram - it’s also in charge of Facebook and WhatsApp, so people are worried about what could happen on those platforms in the future. Joe Tidy, the BBC’s Cyber Correspondent, takes us through why are is Instagram pulling the plug on end to end encryption - and what does it mean for you? Plus, Anushka, an Insta user in India gives us her take and Andre Najee, a cyber security content creator, tells us his tips for staying private online. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler, Chelsea Coates and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

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