Meta, the parent company of popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, is facing new regulations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that require them to enable interoperability with other services within three months of receiving a request. However, Meta has acknowledged that implementing this feature for public use may take longer than the mandated three months.
Initially, the requirements only call for support for one-on-one chats and sharing files such as images, videos, or voice messages. However, over time, the regulation will expand to include group chats and calls as well.
Third-party providers looking to interoperate with Meta’s Messenger and WhatsApp platforms must first sign an agreement before Meta will work with them to implement the feature. Meta has also requested that other providers use WhatsApp’s Signal protocol for encryption, but will accept alternative encryption methods that meet the same security standards.
Interoperability is expected to bring more options to users who want to communicate across different platforms, potentially leading to a more seamless messaging experience. However, the implementation of this regulation could also have implications for competition within the messaging app market.
As Meta works to comply with these new regulations, users can expect to see changes in how they interact across platforms in the near future. Stay tuned for updates on how Meta plans to navigate these new requirements and what it means for the future of messaging apps.
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