On Wednesday, March 6, the EU Digital Market Act (DMA), i.e. the act on digital services, entered into force. It imposes a number of new obligations on the largest technology concerns (called “access gatekeepers”). At this point, 6 companies are covered by DMA regulations – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, ByteDance and Apple.
What changes do EU regulations introduce? To put it simply, it’s about giving users the freedom to choose the services they use. Companies will no longer be able to lock them in their “bubbles” and take advantage of their monopoly position, which they have so far done with great pleasure.
, related to iOS. The Cupertino giant’s platform will feature alternative app stores and payment services competing with Apple Pay, such as Google Pay or the Polish BLIK.
WhatsApp and Messenger with an important change. There is only one catch
Another company that had to adapt to the DMA regulations is Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and Messenger. Back in February, Mark Zuckerberg’s company announced that it would give users the option of separating accounts for individual services
People using Instagram and Facebook in the European Union, EEA and Switzerland will soon have the opportunity to choose how they manage their experience on Meta products. We are offering these opportunities to meet DMA requirements that come into effect in March 2024.
– explained the company in a statement.
But that’s not the end. The changes introduced by Meta go deeper and also apply to WhatsApp and Messenger, the most popular applications of this type in the world. Suffice it to say that the former currently has over 2.78 billion (!) active monthly users. In the case of Messenger, there are over a billion users.
, Meta reported that DMA regulations required the company to provide its services with the so-called interoperability. In the case of the mentioned WhatsApp and Messenger, it is about the possibility of exchanging messages with users of external messengers.
Meta assures that such a function will be made available, but operators of external applications who want to join the WhatsApp and Messenger “ecosystem” must first go through an implementation process lasting several months, which will be a guarantee that they will provide users with an appropriate level of security.
Mark Zuckerberg’s company will also require third-party messaging apps to offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE). It is worth noting that both Messenger and WhatsApp use the Signal/
To maximize user security, we would prefer that third-party providers use the Signal protocol. However, since it must work for everyone, we will allow third-party providers to use a compatible protocol if they can demonstrate that it offers the same security guarantees as Signal.
– explains Meta.
Although we will have to wait for at least a few more months for the full implementation of interoperability (exactly the same obligation rests with the remaining five “access guardians”), we can expect that WhatsApp and Messenger users will be able to receive messages from TikTok later this year, Instagram, Signal or Telegram. And this will make life easier for many people.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
