Facebook's Biggest Bull Sees Privacy Pivot as Move Against Snap
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Facebook Inc.’s newfound focus on encrypted and ephemeral communication is less about protecting user privacy than it is about gaining ground against some of its biggest messaging competitors, according to an analyst who called the move “a huge opportunity.”
“Right now, the company that controls private messaging or one-to-one messaging is primarily iMessage or Snapchat, depending on your age,” said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG, referring to products from Apple and Snap, respectively. “Yesterday’s announcement was a real signal that Facebook plans to be more aggressive in dominating messaging.”