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Facebook is planning to merge Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The plan is to integrate only the messaging function of the three platforms. Other functions of the social networks, such as photo and video sharing, will remain separate because each app will still operate independently.
According to a Facebook representative, the integration is currently in the works and may be finalized by the end of this year or early 2020.
One of the aims of this move is to improve user privacy and safety, which Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg considers two of the biggest challenges of social media. If the integration pushes through, Messenger’s and Instagram’s chat functions will adapt WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, a feature that safeguards conversations. The end-to-end encryption feature works by blocking other people from having access to one’s private messages.
Another goal of the integration is to make it more convenient for users to communicate across different platforms. One Facebook spokesperson noted that users prefer simple, dependable, and private messaging services. With the integration of the three platforms, a Messenger user will be allowed to send messages to contacts who are using either WhatsApp or Instagram.
Although Facebook outlined its goals for integrating the messaging platforms, many skeptics expressed concerns. A data expert from Johns Hopkins University said that merging the platforms can make private information, such as phone numbers, more accessible and less secure. Another expert recalled how Facebook misused user data in the recent past and urged the tech firm to seriously consider its users’ privacy.