WhatsApp’s cross-chat with Messenger and Instagram will be optional … for now
Letting WhatsApp users choose whether they want a cross-platform chat experience is good, but it remains to be seen whether Facebook can convince users.
FacebookLarge Messenger-Instagram-WhatsApp interoperability projects are still underway, but a senior executive has confirmed that WhatsApp users will not be forced to join this connected messaging ecosystem. Mark Zuckerberg announced the company’s vision for interoperability in 2019, believing that users should be able to reach their friends regardless of which Facebook platform they are using. It’s not just internet-based messaging services. The SMS protocol is also part of the company’s multiplatform communication master plan.
The company has already achieved a key part of its cross-departmental messaging goal by allowing Messenger users to chat with their friends on Instagram, and vice versa, without having to install both apps. Even though WhatsApp is currently out of this interoperability hodgepodge, the company is already laying the groundwork by expanding its security features. Just over a month ago, Facebook extended support for end-to-end encryption to voice and video calls on Messenger. However, it remains to be seen whether Facebook can integrate WhatsApp into the interoperability scheme without causing a privacy storm.
Facebook will take a cautious approach, it seems, apparently learning from the fury that followed over its change in privacy policy. Loredana Crisan, vice president of messaging experience at Facebook, said The next web that the company continues to work on interoperability between WhatsApp and its sister services, Instagram DMs and Messenger. More importantly, Crisan mentioned that WhatsApp users will have the choice of whether or not to enable cross-platform messaging with their accounts.
WhatsApp makes messaging interoperability tricky
Crisan did not go into details on how the membership system for WhatsApp users will be implemented, but did mention that conversations between the platforms will be encrypted. However, Facebook needs to overcome a few functional hurdles before it can tackle privacy concerns. First of all, all personal chats are end-to-end encrypted by default on WhatsApp, but this feature is only available when users start a “secret chat†on Messenger. Additionally, the business will need to carefully select the user data it collects in these cross-platform conversations, and disclose it in detail to avoid yet another privacy dispute and regulatory scrutiny. Facebook is already under close scrutiny for practices that would have circumvented WhatsApp’s privacy claims, so convincing users won’t be easy.
Another important aspect is the method of connection. WhatsApp relies solely on the mobile number to create an account, while a Facebook account is sufficient to use Instagram and Messenger. However, opting for the convenience of interoperability means leaving the doors open for sharing phone numbers with Facebook and its ad partners for ad targeting and activity tracking. It remains to be seen what robust privacy and transparency measures will be implemented. More importantly, if Facebook can sell WhatsApp users the idea of ​​a connected cross-platform messaging network with no privacy risk. WhatsApp previously threatened users with losing some functionality if they didn’t agree to its controversial privacy policy update. Hopes are therefore not too high for the majestic interoperability plans, at least given the current state of Facebook’s business.
Source: The next web
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