Report: Facebook To Unite Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram

Facebook, Inc. FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to upgrade privacy measures and combine the infrastructure of the firm’s three messaging platforms, according to a Friday report by The New York Times.

“We’re working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks,” Facebook said in a statement.

What Happened

The intended integration of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger would require foundational overhauls of all three systems and demand input from thousands of employees, according to the Times.

At the end of the process, which remains in early stages, each service would continue operating standalone apps with encrypted messaging enabled across platforms.

Why It’s Important

The unified infrastructure tightens the Facebook ecosystem and simplifies user communication. On the surface, the changes aim to solve issues of engagement and increase the appeal of the ad environment.

But integration also empowers Zuckerberg to more tightly control his distinct enterprises, whose managers have suffered criticism for facilitating the spread of disinformation and election meddling.

Meanwhile, the security measure would address privacy concerns that have plagued Facebook over the last year and invited intense public scrutiny. Whether critics will be satisfied with the effort reported Friday or demand more intense changes remains to be seen.

What’s Next

Facebook intends to complete the integration by the end of 2019 or early 2020, according to The Times. 

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