Target offered more details about the process he would implement to ensure Compatibility of WhatsApp and Messenger with other messaging applications. The coming into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) forces the company to open up its communications so that WhatsApp users can communicate with their friends or family, regardless of whether they are on another app.
Dick Brower, CTO of WhatsApp, mentioned that They worked for two years on interoperability. in a manner that is consistent with the guidelines set by the European Commission. Although the general information was already known, the manager wanted to go deeper into the process and features that will be availables for those who exchange messages between two different applications.
In a post on the Meta Engineering blog, Dick Brower detailed that compatibility will allow send text and voice messages, and share images, videos and attachments between two users during his first year. Subsequently, people will be able to make group video calls and other features set as a requirement by the Commission.
It’s important to note that compatibility is an additional feature for users, but not for WhatsApp. To activate it and receive messages from other applications, we must give our consent. In this case, the chats will not be displayed in the main WhatsApp window, but in a separate tab known as “Third Party Chats”.
While the process is simple for users, there are some steps that messaging clients must follow. First, you need to sign an agreement with WhatsApp (or Messenger), in which they agree to encrypt messages. Meta must ensure operation within three months after the request has been made.
Interacting with WhatsApp is not easy, Meta warns
Dick Brower mentioned this compatibility is a technical issueor even if it focuses on the core functions required by the Digital Markets Act. “Our approach to DMA compliance is designed to preserve user privacy as much as possible,” said the CTO.
New law imposes a requirement that current security not be weakened. To achieve this goal, Meta said it will ask third-party providers to use the Signal encryption protocol or one that guarantees the confidentiality of messages. Target will conduct a number of checks and limit the disclosure of personal data only to your servers.
In order to send messages, third party providers must create communication structures. protobuf messages, which are then encrypted using the Signal protocol and packaged into XML message sections. Metaservers send messages to connected clients over a persistent connection.
Third-party servers are responsible for hosting any media that your applications send to meta clients (such as images or video files). After receiving a multimedia message, meta-clients subsequently download encrypted media files from third-party messaging servers using a proxy service.
Target
Meta strives explain to WhatsApp and Messenger users how compatibility works in an accessible and simple way.. The company has hinted that there may be shortcomings and that the features offered on WhatsApp will not be the same in the new scheme. Major tech companies said the Digital Markets Act poses a threat to data security and privacy.
It’s important to note that compatibility will not be available when DMA takes effect. It may be several months before we see it implemented as Meta and third-party clients need to come to an agreement.
Source: Hiper Textual
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
