The Vanishing Point: Antitrust Risks Raised by Ephemeral Messages

Ephemeral messaging is a form of multimedia digital communication characterised by the automatic disappearance of messages after receipt. The ubiquity of ephemeral messaging, including through popular software applications such as SnapChat, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, is increasingly a cause of concern among competition authorities. In this article the authors address the new CMA investigatory powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (“DMCCA”), learnings from the US on how they tackle ephemeral messaging, and what the key takeaways are so far.

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This article was first published in Issue 8 of Quarterly Competition Magazine of Thought Leaders 4 Competition in February 2025.