Abstract

European lawmakers have ruled through the Digital Markets Act that users on different platforms should be able to exchange messages with each other. Yet messaging interoperability opens up a Pandora’s box of security and privacy challenges. While championed not just as an antitrust measure but as a means of providing a better experience for the end user, interoperability runs the risk of making the user experience worse if poorly executed. There are two fundamental questions: how to enable the actual message exchange, and how to handle the numerous residual challenges arising from encrypted messages passing from one service provider to another—including but certainly not limited to content moderation, user authentication, key management, and metadata sharing between providers.

In this talk, we will survey specific open questions and challenges in interoperable end-to-end encrypted messaging, with a particular focus on key management, user identity, and content moderation. We will outline existing protocols and designs, discuss where current solutions fall short, and explore possible ways of tackling these challenges.

https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/83553682797?pwd=Nnh1cklrRTVoaTJ2Y2tMVDFJS09qdz09

Meeting ID: 835 5368 2797 Passcode: 811133

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