Facebook’s messaging merger leaves lawmakers questioning the company’s power

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Mark Zuckerberg is planning to integrate the underlying infrastructure of Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, allowing users to message each other between apps. At its face, this move could bring some serious advantages for consumers, but lawmakers, regulators, and security experts are already beginning to question whether the benefits outweigh the consequences. “Good for encryption but bad for competition and privacy,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), the ranking member of the commerce subcommittee’s panel on technology, tweeted yesterday. “Once again, Mark Zuckerberg appears eager to breach his commitments in favor of consolidating control over people and their data,” Sen. Richard... Continue reading…