Most trendy shopper messaging platforms (together with Google Messages) help end-to-end encryption, however customers at the moment are restricted to speaking with contacts who use the identical platform. Because of this Google is strongly supportive of regulatory efforts that require interoperability for big end-to-end messaging platforms.
For interoperability to reach follow, nonetheless, rules should be mixed with open, industry-vetted, requirements, notably within the space of privateness, safety, and end-to-end encryption. With out strong standardization, the end result will probably be a spaghetti of advert hoc middleware that might decrease safety requirements to cater for the bottom frequent denominator and lift implementation prices, notably for smaller suppliers. Lack of standardization would additionally make superior options corresponding to end-to-end encrypted group messaging inconceivable in follow – group messages must be encrypted and delivered a number of occasions to cater for each completely different protocol.
With the current publication of the IETF’s Message Layer Safety (MLS) specification RFC 9420, messaging customers can stay up for this actuality. For the primary time, MLS allows sensible interoperability throughout companies and platforms, scaling to teams of hundreds of multi-device customers. It’s also versatile sufficient to permit suppliers to tackle rising threats to person privateness and safety, corresponding to quantum computing.
By making certain a uniformly excessive safety and privateness bar that customers can belief, MLS will unleash an enormous discipline of latest alternatives for the customers and builders of interoperable messaging companies that undertake it. Because of this we intend to construct MLS into Google Messages and help its large deployment throughout the {industry} by open sourcing our implementation within the Android codebase.
