Germany: Issued Interim Report concerning Sector Inquiry into Messenger Services

On 4 November 2021, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) published its interim report on the sector inquiry into messenger services. The interim report outlined the findings of its investigation in two areas. Firstly, it provided an overview of the industry's conditions, including different types of providers, functionalities, and business models. Secondly, it presented the initial results of a company survey on interoperability. Furthermore, it examined the potential influence of interoperability on the data security and privacy standards of messenger and video services, as well as its impact on innovation incentives and competition levels in the industry. Recommendations will be made in the Bundeskartellamt’s final report.