India mulls interoperability for WhatsApp, Telegram messaging platforms

Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram in India may soon be asked to allow ‘interoperability’ across different platforms, according to the requirements under the draft Digital Competition Bill.

As reported by Business Standard recently, in the draft version of the bill, “It is being suggested that apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, should share their APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) with each other to ensure there is interoperability, just as it exists across email services”.

While this is being hailed as a step that will enable data democratisation, enhance competition, and provide ease of messaging to users, experts say that this might put users at greater risk of cyber-attacks and privacy breaches, especially if it is not handled carefully with strong rules in place.

They further stress the need for developing common standards for encryption and exchange of texts across different platforms.

“One of the key concerns when it comes to interoperability is the protection of end-to-end encryption. Instant messaging platforms typically employ proprietary protocols, and aligning these varied systems poses significant technical challenges,” said Saksham Malik, Senior Programme Manager, Competition Law and Policy, The Dialogue.

“There’s a need to develop a standard mechanism for secure key exchanges and a consensus on encryption methods, ensuring that all platforms maintain a uniformly high level of security,” he added.

Experts also emphasise that users should have the choice of ‘opting in’ to the feature once it is available.

“A crucial requirement here, and it cannot be overstated, is that users must have the option to opt in. This means a consumer can decide whether or not they want to engage in exchanging messages with third parties,” said Gautam Busi, Partner, Technology and Privacy, King Stubb & Kasiva.

“This is significant due to the potential risk of spam and scams,” Busi added.

The discussion around cross-messaging functionality, also known as ‘interoperability’, started with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) last year.

It classified six big internet giants, including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft, as ‘gatekeepers’ and asked them to open their platforms for third parties to inter-operate. Business Standard