Facebook took a major step this week toward integrating the major messaging platforms that it owns, linking the functionalities of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The ability for the users of these tools to message or video chat each other is being tested in select markets right now, and the social media giant hopes to expand the option globally in the coming months.

Each of these apps boasts over 1 billion active users, and combining their powers will give Facebook an almost-unbreakable control over the messaging marketplace. With the company already under pressure from antitrust investigations, this could pose a problem. However, Facebook has insisted in the past that moves like this will actually strengthen user privacy by offering end-to-end messaging security.

“I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won’t stick around forever,” Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last year.

While it might be more convenient for users if these platforms are connected, it’s almost never a good thing to give Facebook more power — even if it means a slight boost in security.

Recommended Resources

The Choice of Tech Experts Worldwide. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender and experience the highest level of digital safety.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!