Because of end-to-end encryption, Facebook cannot see the content of its users’ communications; only participants can. Third parties, such as hackers or law enforcement, will find it far more difficult (but not impossible) to eavesdrop on digital communications as a result of this.
Facebook parent Meta has been gradually adding additional levels of encryption to its numerous chat systems in recent years, but these efforts have not yet been consolidated. WhatsApp chats are encrypted by default, using the same protocol as the industry-standard secure messenger Signal; opt-in encryption for Instagram DMs is being evaluated, and Messenger supports E2EE through its “disappearing messages” feature. (The app formerly provided a similar “vanish option,” but this has been disabled as of today’s Facebook update.)
