TikTok reportedly will not introduce end-to-end encryption for direct messages

TikTok will not move forward with introducing end-to-end encryption for direct messages on its platform, according to a new BBC report. The social media company says adding end-to-end encryption would make users less safe because it believes the technology could prevent police and internal safety teams from accessing messages when necessary.

TikTok told the outlet that this is an intentional decision meant to help distinguish the platform from its competitors while also protecting users, especially younger users, from potential harm.

With end-to-end encryption enabled, only the sender and the recipient of a direct message can see its contents.

The company said that although its direct messages do not use end-to-end encryption, they are still protected by standard encryption, similar to that used by services such as Gmail. TikTok added that only authorised employees may access direct messages, and only in limited circumstances, such as responding to a valid law enforcement request or a user report of harmful behaviour.

End-to-end encryption is the default system used by several widely used apps, including Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger for one-to-one personal chats and calls, Apple’s Messages, and Google Messages.