🇬🇧Consumer-hostile #Whatsapp messenger will soon be interoperable - we #Pirates ensured this via the #DMA. In the coming months, we will be able to switch to better and open messenger services such as Matrix and continue to communicate with our consenting Whatsapp contacts securely and end-to-end encrypted across platforms using the Signal protocol. Wired reports: https://www.wired.com/story/whatsapp-interoperability-messaging/

Facebook Messenger will also become interoperable, possibly iMessage too.
Anonymous use of the participating alternative messenger services remains possible, and Whatsapp only receives data on messages sent across platforms.

Even if Threema and Signal want to stay on the sidelines at first, I am confident that more and more messenger services will join in over time, because interoperability is the future and brings real competition and real freedom of choice!

WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps

New EU rules mean WhatsApp and Messenger must be interoperable with other chat apps. Here’s how that will work.

^{Matt Burgess (WIRED)}

NEW: WhatsApp will soon make it possible to chat with people who use other messaging apps. It's revealed some more details on how that will work.

— Apps will need to sign an agreement with Meta, then connect to its servers.
— Meta wants people to use the Signal Protocol, but also says other encryption protocols can be used if they can meet WhatsApp's standards
— WhatsApp has been testing with Matrix in recent months, although nothing is agreed yet. Swiss app Threema says it won't become interoperable

https://www.wired.com/story/whatsapp-interoperability-messaging/ #tech #whatsapp #dma #infosec #news #technology

WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps

New EU rules mean WhatsApp and Messenger must be interoperable with other chat apps. Here’s how that will work.

^{Matt Burgess (WIRED)}

Content warning: Long thread/36 Click to open/close

He endorses #interoperability mandates which would required dominant platforms to connect to the fediverse (facilitating their users' departure), like the ones in the EU's #DSA and #DMA, and proposed in US legislation like the #ACCESSAct:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/04/eu-digital-markets-acts-interoperability-rule-addresses-important-need-raises

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The EU Digital Markets Act’s Interoperability Rule Addresses An Important Need, But Raises Difficult Security Problems for Encrypted Messaging

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) allows new messaging services to demand interoperability (the ability to exchange messages) from the internet's largest messaging services (like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage).

^{Electronic Frontier Foundation}