Facebook is disabling
several features in its Messenger and Instagram apps for people in
Europe, to make sure they comply with a change in privacy
rules.

From 21 December, messaging apps will fall under EU rules known
as the ePrivacy directive.

Facebook has decided to switch off several interactive options
and offer just a core messaging service until it can add the extras
back in.

Group chat polls on Messenger are among the tools to be switched
off.

The ability to set nicknames for friends on Messenger will also
be deactivated, while the sharing of augmented-reality face filters
via direct message on Instagram will also be switched off in
Europe.

Facebook said it had not published a list of all the features it
was suspending in Europe because it would be quickly reactivating
ones that it was confident complied with the rules.

The core text messaging and calling options on Instagram and
Messenger will not be affected.

“We’re still determining the best way to bring these features
back. It takes time to rebuild products in a way that work
seamlessly for people and also comply with new regulation,” the
company said in a statement.

The tools will be deactivated for users across Europe in stages,
so some people may find they can still use them for a few more
days.

There’s nothing in the ePrivacy directive that bans the use of
fun stickers or polls in messaging apps, so Facebook’s move to
disable them is a bit puzzling.

Its vague notification alerting users that “some features [are]
not available” raised more questions than it answered.

It is quite possible that Instagram and Messenger polls and
selfie stickers did nothing to violate the new rules – but Facebook
wants to play it safe and offer a stripped-back messaging service
until it can add the extras back in.

The ePrivacy directive is designed to limit what companies can
do with your messages and the metadata – such as when they were
sent – attached to them.

It also prohibits the interception or surveillance of
communications and metadata without explicit consent from those
involved.

Email services are not allowed to scan messages to show – for
example – personalised advertisers.com.ngs without permission from the
account holder.

In the last few weeks, Google’s Gmail has prompted its users to
opt in or out of “smart features” such as sentence prediction,
which requires the text to be scanned.

Now that the ePrivacy directive applies to so-called “over the
top” messaging services such as Facebook as well as traditional
telecoms companies, we may see more apps update their policies or
limit features.