*ISLAMABAD – Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is planning to unifythe underlying messaging infrastructure of the WhatsApp, Instagram andFacebook Messenger services and incorporate end-to-end encryption intothese apps, the New York Times reported on Friday.*
The three services will, however, continue as stand-alone apps, the reportsaid, citing four people involved in the effort.
Facebook said it is working on adding end-to-end encryption, which protectsmessages from being viewed by anyone except the participants in aconversation, to more of its messaging products, and considering ways tomake it easier for users to connect across networks.
“There is a lot of discussion and debate as we begin the long process offiguring out all the details of how this will work,” a spokesperson said.
After the changes, a Facebook user, for instance, will be able to send anencrypted message to someone who has only a WhatsApp account, according tothe New York Times report.
Integrating the messaging services could make it harder for antitrustregulators to break up Facebook by undoing its acquisitions of WhatsApp andInstagram, said Sam Weinstein, a professor at the Benjamin N. CardozoSchool of Law.
“If Facebook is worried about that then one way it can defend itself is tointegrate those services,” Weinstein said.