TikTok will not encrypt your DMs

TikTok will not encrypt your direct messages like other platforms including Instagram, Messenger, and X, which offer a privacy option.

According to a BBC report, TikTok will not add end-to-end encryption to DMs. The company told the media that it believes encryption puts users at risk, as it stops police and security forces from accessing private messages.

This debate has been discussed with Big Tech companies when it comes to users handing over their private conversations, as companies including Meta have had to hand over information, including DMs, to the police.

Mashable has contacted TikTok for comment.

So, what is end-to-encryption and why is it important?

A way to protect your communications online, end-to-end encryption ensures that only you and your recipient can see your messages. Christianna Silva sums it up for Mashable:

End-to-end encryption means no one – not hackers, not government officials, not the company that owns your device – can read your message while it’s being sent. It takes your message, assembles it, sends it, and breaks it up once it reaches your recipient. So anyone who tries to intercept your message between you and your recipient just gets a bunch of chaos instead of the message itself. This is important because messages can pass through many hands from sender to receiver, such as the service you use to send the message, the Internet service providers involved, and the servers that store the message data at any given time.

Apps and platforms such as Signal, iMessage, and WhatsApp all provide end-to-end encryption, but it’s not that specific – and technical departments and regulatory compliance can lead to serious problems.

Apple’s iMessage kicked off the event in 2011 as the first messaging service with end-to-end encryption enabled automatically – Apple expanded it in 2024 with the post-quantum encryption key PQ3. Law enforcement can request data from Apple with a search warrant, but they have been blocked in the past.

Meta has had a rollercoaster ride through end-to-end encryption, slowly adding to platforms like Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp was open in 2016, but law enforcement can request access to your metadata. As for Facebook and Messenger, between January and June 2025, more than 374,000 data requests were filed by government sources with Meta, of which the company said 78 percent had the data. Some of these have been in the headlines; shortly after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, police used Facebook chat logs to prosecute an abortion seeker.

Signal has long been associated with its end-to-end encryption, becoming the communication method of choice for activists, journalists, and those concerned about privacy. Signal says its services “do not provide access to emergency providers such as the police, fire department, hospitals, or other public safety organizations,” although the FBI has found ways to screen users.

Telegraph, which has been around since 2013, does not have end-to-end encryption by default. There are two types of encryption in Telegram, one for private and group chats and one for “Private Chats” which adds another layer of encryption (which must be enabled). But Telegram has had a number of controversies over the years, including a major revenge porn scandal and a lawsuit over human rights violations.

Elon Musk’s IX has replaced its DMs with Chat, which is encrypted at the edges but not automatically. Users must set up a pair of private keys when they first use the feature and X says it uses “a combination of strong cryptographic schemes to encrypt each individual message, link, and response part of an encrypted conversation before they leave the sender’s device and remain encrypted while stored on X’s infrastructure. Once the messages are received by the recipient’s tools, they are decrypted for the user to read.” It is waterproof though.

Zoom, on the other hand, outright lied about its 2020 launch, which led to a class action lawsuit and an $85 million settlement.

There are many apps and platforms that use end-to-end encryption, which makes TikTok’s decision stand out. And that’s not the only reason TikTok is raising concerns about users.

Looking for more tech news? Subscribe to Mashable’s Top news magazine.