Meta-owned American photo and video-sharing social networking service Instagram is finally introducing the ability to disable read receipts for direct messages (DMs).
Read receipts are the small “seen” notifications that appear next to messages in a DM conversation, indicating that the recipient has opened the message.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri both announced on their Instagram Broadcast channels that the change is currently in testing, and Mosseri included this picture showing the toggle as well as what it looks like in action.

The new option to disable read receipts will give users the flexibility to choose whether or not they want to share their message-reading activity with others.
Bijay Pokharel
Bijay Pokharel is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Abijita, an independent technology and cybersecurity news publication established in 2017. A specialist in cybersecurity journalism, Bijay covers vulnerability research, malware analysis, enterprise data breaches, digital privacy, and emerging technologies. His work translates complex technical threats into precise, accessible, and actionable intelligence for security professionals and general readers alike. His reporting and investigative coverage are routinely cited and republished across leading technology and security media.



