What I find intriguing is that E2EE was significantly more common long ago than it is today. Multi-protocol chat clients would utilize the OTR libraries meaning 'off the record' and even auto-negotiate with folks over AIM, MSN, ICQ, IRC and others to assist in showing fingerprints and sharing public keys which could be done over the platform or out of band if one so wished.

I would have expected that by today that not only would this be more common but that the technology would have significantly advanced by now. Instead the opposite appears to be true. People are instead using apps that pinky promise to E2EE things and depend on the chat service to handle the trust mechanism for them which in my view entirely defeats the intent and purpose of E2EE. I assume the motivation is the desire to capture and monetize every conversation, especially the private conversations and/or to comply with national security letters. I've heard people try to rationalize this with because non technical people but non technical people were utilizing OTR just fine.

What could realistically be done to reverse this in a way that puts the control back into the individuals hands? i.e. Even if all the kings horses and all the kings men wanted your messages they could only pound sand again and again.