I recall a time before big tech closed off their platforms. On my
LG Arena, I could access MSN, Facebook, and Google Talk (or Chat, or Hangouts, maybe they could finally decide on a name) at the same time. Not long after, Facebook
shut down the protocol that allowed this app to exist and MSN eventually died off. Facebook saw a golden opportunity at the time to build a wall around its platform.
Technology before the “big tech era” was based on protocols that everyone agreed upon, key examples are email and SMS/MMS. Now, the EU wants to break the
FOMO and allow people to communicate across platforms by mandating that big tech allows interoperability with other apps for instant messaging.
Here is a great article by the New York Times that covers the exact implications of the law. I suspect this will lead to a lot of innovation in the sector (finally).