July 24, 2023
Google has announced that it will adopt the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol for its Messages app.
MLS is an end-to-end encryption system that allows users to securely message between different platforms. This means that Google Messages users will be able to chat securely with users of other messaging apps that also support MLS.
Meaningful interoperability would necessitate significant corporations supporting the same standard, and MLS now appears to have one of the largest on its side. Google also supports RCS, a carrier-backed end-to-end encrypted messaging protocol. RCS didn’t have sufficient security for group conversations for a long time, but Google is now releasing a version that does (but doesn’t utilize MLS).
The adoption of MLS by Google Messages is a significant step towards more secure and interoperable messaging. It is also a response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which requires large messaging platforms to support end-to-end encryption and interoperability.
Google has not yet said when it will roll out MLS support for Google Messages. However, the company has said that it will open source its implementation of MLS, which will make it easier for other messaging platforms to adopt the protocol.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheVerge.
