Facebook has a plan to 'merge' user content from Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram

Facebook has had its own Messenger feature since its early days as a social media platform. However, that did not stop it wanting to absorb the additional, related services Instagram and WhatsApp, which it did in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Now, reports that the main company intends to merge all these apps have emerged. This, apparently, involves the institution of a unified infrastructure of all posts made using the 3 services.

However, Facebook spokespeople have also claimed that the apps will remain single entities, with no changes as to how they are used or accessed. Nevertheless, this move is also a volte-face on the social giant’s behalf, as it had previously stated that WhatsApp, for one, would remain completely independent from its owner’s platform. The plan may also spark a resurgence of dissatisfaction among executives and staff working on this app, who had raised objections to the concept of such a merger in the recent past.

A Facebook representative asserted that this merger will result in a “fast, simple, reliable and private” new messaging service. However, this does not tally with the possibility that it may, for example, result in Messenger’s ability to see user information from Instagram or vice versa. This will be a particularly jarring change for WhatsApp fans, who typically do not need to disclose personal information besides their phone numbers to use the service. On the other hand, Facebook has also stated that it wants to make “more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted”. However, that has not stopped privacy experts warning against the planned amalgamation of the apps in question.

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