Facebook firm on message encryption despite pressure

Law enforcement officials have pressed Facebook for better access to encrypted messages, a move which activists say could be harmful for most users

Facebook said Tuesday it plans to move ahead with strong encryption for all its messaging applications, claiming that allowing law enforcement special access would end up being "a gift to criminals, hackers and repressive regimes."

The comments from the leading social network come weeks after officials from the US, Britain and Australia called on Facebook to allow authorities to circumvent encryption to better fight extremism, child pornography and other crimes.