this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2024

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185

WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps (www.wired.com)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

39 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Got it from here : https://infosec.exchange/@mattburgess/111885761552024420

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

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

I've been looking for info about this for months, as it was obviously a part of the EU's anti-gatekeeping legislation from last year, but I couldn't find any info. Specifically I wanted to know which apps would be able to communicate with WhatsApp - Telegram? Signal? Something else?

And now that there's an article, it's behind a paywall...

Edit: managed to read it through Firefox's reader mode. Unfortunately they don't know, but not for lack of trying:

So far, it is unclear which companies, if any, are planning to connect their services to WhatsApp. WIRED asked 10 owners of messaging or chat services—including Google, Telegram, Viber, and Signal—whether they intend to look at interoperability or had worked with WhatsApp on its plans. The majority of companies didn’t respond to the request for comment. Those that did, Snap and Discord, said they had nothing to add.

The only service they mentioned that definitely will have chat interoperability is Facebook Messenger.... Yeah, no fucking thanks.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So two Facebook products are interoperable with each other? Wow...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Not yet, if I'm reading this right! They will be, because the EU forced them to be I guess?

I am finding it as ridiculous as you are.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They'll pull an Apple out of their arse and somehow break it outside the EU.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I definitely expect this. And I expect the EU to tear both them and Apple a new one.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This new legislation comes into effect next month. So sure, "not yet", but very soon.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Specifically I wanted to know which apps would be able to communicate with WhatsApp

WhatsApp will allow any service to communicate with their network. But wether or not any do is entirely up to those other apps. I think there's very little chance Signal will ever interoperate with anything for example. iMessage surely won't either.

Technically it shouldn't be difficult, because almost every chat app these days uses the same protocol (Signal which is an unofficial industry standard and soon to be an official one). The question is how well it fits with their business model. And most companies don't share their business model.

The other issue is the recipient needs to opt in. You won't be able to send messages to just anyone... and if spam is an issue then everyone might turn it off.

The bigger question for me is wether or not you will be able to use a third party app to access WhatsApp. As in full access, view all messages, view contacts, create messages, receive push notifications, etc etc. It looks like the DMA might allow a return to software like Adium which is an open source messaging app that used to be able to log into almost any messaging service. These days none of the most popular services are available in the app, so almost nobody uses it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Adium... They named an app 'the element of advertisement'?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Adium… now that’s a name I have not heard for a while. Used to have a super nice customized version to chat with friends on various platforms. It was amazing. Thanks for the nostalgia trip!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

https://archive.ph/XXoKh

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago

I hope that if this happens there will be an option to block any type of contact/message coming from WhatsApp

[–] TxzK 16 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Does that mean I can send messages to WhatsApp using Signal?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (4 children)

WhatsApp, Google Messenger, Facebook Messenger and Skype all implement the same Signal protocol.

The article's title is misleading, and did not explain how it would work at all.

Like, will the protocol also add logins for different services? I remember having a messenger app a while ago (Trillian), which would merge MSN, ICQ and other chat platforms into a single experience.

I can sorta get how DMs will work. Group chats may be much harder to implement.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I had all but forgotten about Trillian! Man, that was huge in my circles back in my youth. Such nostalgia reading that name again.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Miranda IM over Trillian any day of the week!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Trillian? A while ago? Maaaan, that's almost two decades ago... Nostalgia just hit me

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Also to add a very important question: will Facebook then be able to harvest all of our Signal metadata like they do for WhatsApp?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Hopefully the opposite is true. There'e end-to-end encryption and if the client isn't written by meta, then meta can't intercept after decryption.

Being able to use meta's chat platform without any of their code being executable on your device is a big improvement. They can't scrape your contacts and data at all.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I recommend seeing talks from Matrix protocol that explain potencial and doable solutions.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Only if Signal decided to apply for connection, which I doubt they'll do.

[–] TxzK 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It would be cool tho if you could. I don't wanna use WhatsApp but I'm basically forced to because everyone else in my family uses it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Yeah, for me my family and close friends have no problem because I explained and told I am not going to use Facebook products. But when meeting new people, especially groups of people there is a big barrier.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I hope it will.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

So if Meta <-> Signal interoperability gets implemented and I have a hypothetical group chat with 5 Signal users and 1 WhatsApp/Messenger user, all the messages would be sent to Meta? I don't like it

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Simple solution to that is not to add people. Am assuming should that happen Signal will add highlight of sorts to warn about users from other networks.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Does that matter if it's end-to-end encrypted?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

How do I know that WhatsApp isn't performing client-side scanning of messages? Meta has been doing it before, on Messenger

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago

EU is making Big Tech Based 😁

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I hope Threema is gonna be able to interoperate with WhatsApp as I’d love to ditch that app.

Just a setting preventing new people from your contacts to write to you on WhatsApp would be great. I only keep it because of some groups I can’t leave..

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I've updated the post here to include the original posting and preview I got it from, which shows :

Swiss app Threema says it won’t become interoperable

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh shit that’s bad news.

I guess the technical side was complicated..

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

It's not the technical side. They are scared of metadata leaking and making their network less secure. If you want a dezentrale messaging to work take a look at matrix.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Is this part of Embrace/Extend?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Do you think it will be possible to do this in matrix? Without bridges obviously

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Without bridges only if WhatsApp incorporate Matrix protocol. There must be something to translate different APIs/protocols.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I stopped reading at “…full details will be released in May.”

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

It's been a long time coming and it's still coming...

I want this a lot