Meta has announced changes to two of its platforms: WhatsApp and delivery boyallow The Interoperability with third-party messaging services to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The entry into force of The DMA forces the company led by Mark Zuckerberg to open its communications to WhatsApp users They can chat regardless of whether they are in another app.
Specific, WhatsApp and Messenger offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) -secure communication method that prevents third parties from accessing the data transmitted from one endpoint to another, thus meeting the requirements of Third Party Chat the new European regulations.
The DMA requires that Meta “be ready to enable interoperability with other services within three months of receiving a request“But according to what the company publishes on its blog, “Activation for public use may take longer«.
«The approach we have taken to implement interoperability is the best way to meet DMA requirements while creating a viable approach for third parties interested in interoperating with Meta and maximizing user security and privacy.“he clarifies Dick Brouwer, Meta engineerin detail Interoperability allows text and voice messages to be sent, as well as sharing images, videos and attachments between two users in the first year. Afterwards, he adds, “people will be able to make group video calls and other functions set as a requirement by the European Commission.”
In this context, Meta’s technical director emphasizes that it is important to mention this Interoperability is an optional feature for users, but not for WhatsApp. To activate it and receive messages from other applications, users must give their consent.
This means that the chats will not appear in the main WhatsApp window, but in a separate tab called “Third-party chats”. Messaging customers, in turn, must sign an agreement with WhatsApp or Messenger agreeing to encrypt messages.
In the words of Dick Brouwer, Interoperability is a technical challenge, even when focusing on the core functionality required by the Digital Markets Act. However, he assures that “Our approach to DMA compliance focuses on protecting user privacy as much as possible.«.
With ALL, Meta is committed to this Explain how interoperability works in a clear and simple way for WhatsApp and Messenger users. The company has already started showing a notice to its users that they “Updating our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for users in the European region«. The changes that will take effect next April 11, 2024.
