Setting itself apart from major rivals by arguing the technology would make users less safe, the social media platform, which says it has 30 million monthly users in the UK and more than a billion worldwide, confirmed the position during a briefing with the BBC at its London office.
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is widely considered the most secure form of communication available to the public because it ensures only the sender and the recipient of a message can read its contents.
Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and X have embraced the system in recent years, saying it protects user privacy.
Critics, however, argue the technology makes it harder to detect harmful content and prevents technology companies and law enforcement agencies from viewing messages that may contain abuse or illegal material.
TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance and headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore, said it believed the system would prevent police and safety teams from accessing messages if necessary.
TikTok told the BBC it believed end-to-end encryption prevented police and safety teams from being able to read direct messages if they needed to.
The company said the approach was intended to protect users – particularly younger people – from harm and described the decision as a deliberate move to distinguish itself from competitors.
The debate around encryption comes as TikTok continues to face scrutiny over its data protection practices and its links to China.
The company has repeatedly denied accusations that ties to the Chinese state could place user data at risk. Earlier this year, however, TikTok’s US operations were separated from its global business following orders from US lawmakers.
Matt Navarra, a social media industry analyst, said TikTok’s decision to diverge from other platforms could carry both advantages and reputational risks.
He added: “Grooming and harassment risks are very real in DMs so TikTok now can credibly argue that it’s prioritising ‘proactive safety’ over ‘privacy absolutism’ which is a pretty powerful soundbite.”
Matt said the move could also create scepticism among some observers, adding it “puts TikTok out of step with global privacy expectations” and might reinforce concerns about the company’s ownership.
End-to-end encryption has long been praised by privacy advocates as the most effective way to protect messages from hackers, corporations and governments seeking to access private conversations. It is already the default technology used by services such as Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages, while Instagram is in the process of making it standard for direct messages.
Other platforms, including Telegram and Snapchat, use variations of the system or offer it selectively, while Discord recently announced voice and video calls will soon be encrypted by default.
Governments, police forces and child protection organisations have repeatedly criticised the technology, warning it allows criminals to communicate without detection.
TikTok said direct messages on its platform are still secured with standard encryption similar to services such as Gmail. The company said only authorised employees can access messages and only in limited circumstances, such as in response to a valid law enforcement request or when a user reports harmful behaviour.
Rani Govender, associate head of policy for child online safety at the NSPCC, welcomed the company’s stance, saying: “We know just how risky end-to-end-encrypted platforms can be for children, preventing the detection of child sexual abuse and exploitation and contributing to a worrying global decline in reports.”
