Meta Faced Internal Pushback on Encryption Rollout

Meta Platforms executives pushed default encryption despite warnings it would curb child exploitation reporting, court filings show.

The documents, made public in a case brought by Raul Torrez, reveal internal discussions dating back to 2019. In one exchange, Monika Bickert warned Meta was “about to do a bad thing” before Mark Zuckerberg announced encryption plans. The New Mexico Attorney General’s lawsuit alleges Meta failed to protect minors from predators, enabling abuse and human trafficking. The trial, which began this month, marks the first time such claims against Meta have reached a jury.

Meta Executive Slams Messenger Encryption in Court Filing

In February 2019, Meta estimated Messenger encryption would cut reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by 65%. A later update said company could not share data in hundreds of cases, including exploitation, sextortion, terrorism and school threats.

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End-to-end encryption, which ensures only the sender and recipient can read messages, is widely used by services such as Apple’s iMessage, Google Messages and Meta’s WhatsApp. However, child safety advocates argue that applying the technology to social media platforms—where users can easily connect with strangers—poses additional risks. Internal emails show that senior safety officials shared similar concerns. Bickert reportedly cautioned that the company was overstating its ability to maintain safety operations under encryption. She noted that fully encrypted messaging would prevent proactive detection of terrorism plots or child exploitation cases.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said 2019 concerns prompted added safeguards before launching encrypted Facebook and Instagram messaging in 2023. The New Mexico lawsuit is one of several legal challenges facing Meta worldwide over youth safety. More than 40 attorneys general accuse the company of harming youth mental health, alongside lawsuits from school districts and private plaintiffs.

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