Since the previous week, a message appeared on Facebook Messenger to warn many users that they no longer had access to certain functions without specifying which ones. The social network finally explains the origin of the problem: compliance with European rules.
After several days of misunderstanding for many users, Facebook has finally clarified what these “unavailable features” were due to “new rules regarding message services in Europe.”
This message appeared last week on Instagram and Messenger without the majority of subscribers really understanding what it meant. On Sunday on its blog, Facebook gave more explanations.
A MEASURE TO MEET EUROPEAN STANDARDS
It is in fact the 2002 European ePrivacy Directive, on the protection, confidentiality and security of online data, which now applies to messaging services in the 27 European Union member states and other associated countries.
It is now known that the disabled features include personalised autoresponders or polls on Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The latter require the use of message content to function and Facebook must comply with privacy rules in this regard.
However, the Californian firm points out that the ePrivacy Directive prohibits messaging services from using data “to prevent, detect and respond to child abuse and other forms of harm”, as there is no legal basis for these tools. A content identification that Facebook has to put on hold until it complies with the EU, recalling its Project Protect initiative for the safety of children online and hoping to get it validated.
DEVELOPERS ALSO AFFECTED
This temporary suspension of services also has an impact on some developers working with Facebook and the Messenger API, but also foreign companies operating in Europe through Facebook, especially for chat pages.
According to MessengerPeople.com, Messenger also no longer allows audio, video or document integration, or photo galleries and buttons on the desktop version. Facebook says it is working to restore these functions quickly.