EFF learned last week that the state of Nevada is seeking an emergency order prohibiting Meta from rolling out end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger for all users in the state under the age of 18. The motion for a temporary restraining order is part of a lawsuit by the state Attorney General alleging that Meta’s products are deceptively designed to keep users addicted to the platform. While we regularly fight legal attempts to limit social media access, which are primarily based on murky evidence of its effects on different groups, blocking minors’ use of end-to-end encryption would be entirely counterproductive and just plain wrong.
