I think META like many other "service providers" don't yet realize, that it's becoming trivial to roll your own and all we need is a protocol. And arguably there are many. You can then use your existing social graph (anyone remembers this term? lol) to chat. Your mom and granddad won't roll their own, but publishing an open service that uses FB openID and API while delegating to the open protocol is really not that hard. Browser local storage may not be ideal, but it's a good placeholder until something better can be implemented.

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seanw444 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It's not the technology design that's that important. It's the network effect, and peoples' default trust in megacorps over volunteer projects. Both of which cannot be solved with just a protocol.

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Terr_ 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Half the problem is "felony contempt of business model", where the legal system is wielded against anyone who would create pro-consumer tools.

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dzdt 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This would be a natural role for the Post Office to take on, to provide a neutral ad-free, privacy-respecting messaging platform accessible to all.

	▲	Terr_ 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I think the natural and equivalent role of the USPS would be an ISP, rather than a "messaging platform" itself. When the US Constitution was drafted in 1787, authorizing the new Federal government to run a postal service, carrying letters and packages via horse rider/wagons was the state-of-the-art.

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nicoburns 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It was always relatively trivial to roll your own messaging service. And open protocols exist (and predate messenger)! The thing you can't (easily) replicate are the network effects.

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esafak 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

There are already alternatives to these products; what would adding some more change?