"DIGITAL MARKETS ACT: WORKSHOP ON THE DMA AND INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN MESSAGING SERVICES" (European Comission. Brussels, 27 February 2023)

This workshop celebrated in Brussels (27 february 2023), was very much focused on the technical aspects of interoperability. The different panels focused on topics such as the general framework and requirements to ensure effective interoperability as well as concrete, technical questions including the encryption of messages and security aspects, (personal) data collection, the identification of users, quality of interoperable services, system management and the integrity of the service.

<b>PRESENTATIONS</b>

Opening Remarks European Commission

Panel 1 - "Introduction to horizontal interoperability between messaging services: goals, challenges and potential solutions"

Examples of questions to be discussed:

What are general objectives, scope and structure of Article 7 DMA? How does it relate to the wider concept of interoperability of communication services?

What are the main trade-offs in terms of effective interoperability while preserving existing standards of service integrity and user protection? How does Article 7 DMA approach these trade-offs?

What are the main practical challenges and potential solutions to implement Article 7 DMA effectively?

What is the role and necessary content of the reference offer required by Article 7 DMA? Introduction by Prof Simonetta Vezzoso followed by the presentation of each panellist

Panellists: Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv), European Digital Rights (EDRi), Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)

Moderator: European Commission

Panel 2 - "Exploring the technical aspects of interoperability (I): end-to-end encryption, security of the service"

Examples of questions to be discussed:

What are the main considerations about end-to-end encryption that must be taken into account?

What are the feasible technical solutions that can ensure end-to-end encryption while preserving the objectives of Article 7 DMA?

What other reasonable measures should be taken by the gatekeeper and the interoperability seeker to preserve a high security standard?

Panellists: Prof Paul Rösler, Mozilla, Cisco, Matrix.org, Meta

Moderator: European Commission

Panel 3 - "Exploring the technical aspects of interoperability (II): data collection, identification of users, quality of interoperable services, system management, integrity of the service/prevention of misuse"

Examples of questions to be discussed:

What type of data is necessary for interoperability to work? How should the storage and handling of this data be organised in the case of interoperable services?

How users can identify others across the two services. How to design discovery protocols? What are the risks for privacy and how to mitigate them?

How to design user interfaces effectively in the light of the choices that have to be made available under Article 7 DMA? What challenges could undermine a seamless experience for the users and how to solve them (e.g. lag in synchronous communications)?

How to mitigate the risk of misuse of the service? How to synchronise the necessary preventive measures including updates, monitoring, reporting and sanctioning of service misuse across interoperable systems? How should the reference offer attribute the responsibility for implementing the necessary measures to avoid misuse/violation of use policies?

Panellists: Pôle d'Expertise de la Régulation Numérique (PEReN), Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency), Wire, Meta

Moderator: European Commission