The European Union is planning to enforce legislation to tie a noose around the neck of big tech companies. On Thursday, the European regulator revealed details about how it is planning to do that. The new Digital Markets Act will require all leading messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger to become interoperable. In simple words, Europe wants a WhatsApp user to be able to exchange texts and media with Signal or iMessage users without having to download separate apps.
Europe’s upcoming DMA, according to TechCrunch, will require messaging app companies with at least 45 million monthly active users or 10,000 active users annually to “open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms.” That brings apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage right into the focus. “Users of small or big platforms would then be able to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps, thus giving them more choice,” said the EU.
The new legislation has been in the making for a long time as the European Union has, over the past few years, become more stringent towards tech companies. The antitrust legislation will put messaging platforms under an interoperability obligation, but there is no information on how WhatsApp and other apps will pave the way for other apps to use their platform for the exchange of messages. According to the EU, messenger services that will need to comply with interoperability rules will have to open up their APIs for competitors to give them access to features such as user-to-user messages, video and voice calls, and file transfers.
The rule does not apply to smaller messaging services. In other words, Signal may not have to open up its APIs for WhatsApp, but WhatsApp would be required to. The interoperability will gradually grow to include more features such as group chats, where some WhatsApp users will be able to create a group with some Signal or iMessage users and exchange messages. The specifics are not clear, but the European Union’s intentions are clear. It does not want consumers to be swayed by the fact that a majority of people use a certain app. You could be a Signal user and still chat with WhatsApp users.
Another important thing that the EU wants the leading messaging apps to make sure is that even if there is interoperability, end-to-end encryption should be used for everything. “It will come — at the same time, it also has to be secure. If the Telecoms Regulators say it is not possible to deliver end-to-end encrypted group chats within the next nine months, then it will come as soon as it is possible, there will be no doubt about that,” said Andreas Schwab, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur, told TechCrunch.
At the moment, the legislation has yet to be finalised and approved by Parliament. That means ample time for WhatsApp and other leading messaging apps to come up with either a solution to comply with when the law is effective or an explanation as to why the EU’s demands are unrealistic.
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