Paul Stenhouse: An update for Google Maps and Meta's axing of end-to-end encryption on Instagram DMs

Google Maps is getting a new look  

Google Maps is getting it's biggest update in over a decade with the launch of “Immersive Navigation”. The new view places you in a 3D space with a view of the road features, buildings and terrain around you – almost making it look like a video game. It has smart zooms and transparent buildings to give you a better look at what’s coming up on your drive, including potentially tricky merges and turns, and better highlighting of things like traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. It starts in the US, and will roll out to iOS and Android devices, and CarPlay and Android Auto.  

 

A surprise reversal from Meta – Instagram chats will no longer be encrypted  

From May 8th, chats will no longer be encrypted. You'll have until then to download them, or I assume they'll be deleted by Meta. Meta’s decision to dismantle the encryption feature comes against the backdrop of increasing concerns surrounding child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. By eliminating end-to-end encryption, the company will be able to monitor direct messages and calls on Instagram for any content relating to CSAM, grooming, or related harassment.  

There are lots of open questions and I'm surprised this hasn't been picked up by more outlets. What was behind the move? Are laws such as the EU’s Chat Control regulation and the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023 pushing them away from E2E encryption?  Messenger just got E2E encryption – so what happens to that now? WhatsApp has had it for some time, and is a core feature of the product – will that also go? Could this be to do with how the services are classified under various international laws?  

Some odd things are happening at Meta. They are bringing Messenger back inside Facebook, effectively killing it as a standalone product and having more like the FB Messages of old.   

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks at be.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Google Maps is getting a new look. It's biggest update
in more than ten years. Our textbot Paul Stenhouse is
here with the details. What is happening to one of
my favorite apps.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
It's okay, it's only going to be when you're driving,
or when you're in this navigation mode.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Okay, So I mean that's quite a critical time, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
It is, Well, that's why it's good. So that's why
they've made the updates. Because you know, if you don't
have the navigation turned on and someone is just looking
at the dot moving down the road and not telling
you to turn left or right you're supposed to be doing,
that's a disaster, isn't it. That's a relationship over just instantly.
So they have made some really big changes. They've used AO.

(00:54):
Of course, they have to create some really cool imagery
that takes their information from street view and their information
from satellites and turn it into what kind of looks
like a video. And if you've ever seen a Tesla
when it's driving, it kind of is the same thing.
It's got the car in the middle of the screen
and it will show you the road, and then it

(01:15):
will show you the buildings and the pedestrian crossings and
the traffic lights and the stop signs, all kind of
like around your car. So it's pretty neat. It zooms
in and zooms out as it kind of needs to.
So if you're on the highway, it will just zoom out,
and then when you're getting close to the exits, it
will zoom on in so you can find your exit.

(01:39):
I think it sounds pretty neat. It looks pretty neat.
Haven't had the chance to try it yet. It's launching
in the US first, so it's rolling out here today
and then we'll be coming rest of the world. iOS,
Android car Play, Android Auto, all of those places where
you use Google Maps.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Right, okay, So theoretically it should make when you're in
the navigation mode, so you say here's where I'm going
and you hit start, it should make that like finding
getting the right exit, making the right turn just a
little bit easier, right, that's the goal, that's the theory. Yeah, okay, yeah, well,
you know, I mean, famously, we all love change, especially

(02:16):
on Saturday morning. I'm sure we're going to lean into
that but no, I can't. I'm interested to see how
that's going to go down. Hey, a surprise reversal from Meta,
the company which owns Facebook and Instagram. Instagram chats are
no longer going to be encrypted.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah. So from May eighth, an alert popped up in
the app. You might have seen it if you use Instagram,
Instagram Chats, Instagram Messenger. I don't know what it's called
direct messages, but it says that you'll need to download
your chats before May eight, otherwise I assume you're going
to lose them or they'll be deleted by Meta. Now
Meta had not really said why this was. They've since

(02:55):
put out a statement and said it's because very few
users were using it, so that's why they've decided to
get rid of it. But it's an interesting decision number
of reasons. One, WhatsApp, who they bought and also own
and run, that sort of has privacy and an encryption

(03:15):
at its core, right, So that's that's been really important
to WhatsApp. Messenger in twenty twenty three got encrypted messages
end to end by default, so didn't have to turn
that on. So Instagram god around the same time. It's
just so weird that you would then say, of the
three products we have that do messages, Instagram will no

(03:37):
longer be encrypted. I just found that a little strange. Now,
they are kind of you know, there's certainly the two
camps of right encryption good good for privacy. On the
flip side, it is you know, the common concern is
that it's bad for things like you know, abuse, and
it's bad for things like child pornography, and it's bad

(04:00):
for things like terrorism because the authorities and the platforms
can't see anything it's encrypted into.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
That's the whole point.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, that's the whole point. But obviously that leads to issues.
So there are some laws going through or have been
passed in the UK and the EU that maybe this
is to do with. But again it's just strange that
it's happening on Instagram but not WhatsApp in a messenger.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah right, okay, I thank you very much, Paul.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Maybe it's a wait and see.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, indeed, thank you very much. Paul Stenhouse is our
text bood of course.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks' b from nine Am, saturday or follow
the podcast On, iHeartRadio