How it works
Why interoperability?
Interoperability means that different platforms can communicate with each other. As a WhatsApp user, you would be able to communicate with your grandmother on Facebook, your dad on Signal, your sister on Discord and your nephew on Telegram - without having an account on any of those platforms.
This seems like an imaginary idea that wouldn't be possible, but examples like XMPP and Matrix prove it to be possible for a while now.
How can we fix this?
Mandating interoperability on large social platform gets rid of the network effect: users will no longer consent to outrageous terms & services because they have an honest choice and aren't blackmailed by the leverage that tech companies control all of their communication online.
Interoperability also strengthens security and encourages innovation on the internet: with the option to connect apps to each other, new gadgets can integrate with existing platforms for an improved user experience.
Read more
- Interoperability News: The knowledge hub for digital interoperability in Europe
- Advanced Data Systems Corporation: What Is Interoperability, and Why Is it Important?
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: Facing Facebook: Data Portability and Interoperability Are Anti-Monopoly Medicine
- Fast Company: How interoperability could end Facebook's death grip on social media