<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
technology	O
is	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
allowing	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
text	O
transmission	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
or	O
another	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messages	O
are	O
typically	O
transmitted	O
between	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
parties	O
,	O
when	O
each	O
user	O
inputs	O
text	O
and	O
triggers	O
a	O
transmission	O
to	O
the	O
recipient(s )	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
all	O
connected	O
on	O
a	O
common	O
network	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
differs	O
from	O
email	O
in	O
that	O
conversations	O
over	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
happen	O
in	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
(	O
hence	O
"	O
instant	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
modern	O
IM	O
applications	B-Application
(	O
sometimes	O
called	O
"	O
social	O
messengers	B-Protocol
"	O
,	O
"	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
"	O
or	O
"	O
chat	B-Application
apps	O
"	O
)	O
use	O
push	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
and	O
also	O
add	O
other	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
emojis	B-Application
(	O
or	O
graphical	O
smileys	O
)	O
,	O
file	B-Protocol
transfer	I-Protocol
,	O
chatbots	B-Application
,	O
voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
,	O
or	O
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
systems	O
tend	O
to	O
facilitate	O
connections	O
between	O
specified	O
known	O
users	O
(	O
often	O
using	O
a	O
contact	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
also	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
buddy	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
"	O
or	O
"	O
friend	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
"	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
standalone	O
applications	B-Application
or	O
integrated	O
into	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
a	O
wider	O
social	O
media	O
platform	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
website	O
where	O
it	O
can	O
for	O
instance	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
conversational	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
IM	O
can	O
also	O
consist	O
of	O
conversations	O
in	O
"	O
chat	B-Application
rooms	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
IM	O
protocol	O
,	O
the	O
technical	O
architecture	O
can	O
be	O
peer-to-peer	O
(	O
direct	O
point-to-point	B-Architecture
transmission	O
)	O
or	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
(	O
an	O
IM	O
service	O
center	O
retransmits	O
messages	O
from	O
the	O
sender	O
to	O
the	O
communication	O
device	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
usually	O
distinguished	O
from	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
which	O
is	O
typically	O
simpler	O
and	O
normally	O
uses	O
cellular	O
phone	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
applications	B-Application
can	O
store	O
messages	O
with	O
either	O
local-based	O
device	O
storage	O
(	O
e.g	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
Viber	B-Application
,	O
Line	B-Application
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
Signal	B-Application
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
or	O
cloud-based	O
server	B-Application
storage	O
(	O
e.g	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
Google	O
Meet/Chat	O
,	O
Discord	B-Application
,	O
Slack	B-Protocol
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
was	O
pioneered	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
Internet	O
era	O
;	O
the	O
IRC	B-Protocol
protocol	O
was	O
the	O
earliest	O
to	O
achieve	O
wide	O
adoption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
closed	O
and	O
commercialized	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
,	O
and	O
several	O
rival	O
services	O
appeared	O
afterwards	O
as	O
it	O
became	O
a	O
popular	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
its	O
first	O
introduction	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
,	O
which	O
initially	O
had	O
been	O
available	O
only	O
on	O
BlackBerry	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
soon	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
mobile	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
apps	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BBM	B-Application
was	O
for	O
instance	O
the	O
most	O
used	O
mobile	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
and	O
Indonesia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
remains	O
very	O
popular	O
today	O
;	O
IM	O
apps	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
widely	O
used	O
smartphone	B-Application
apps	I-Application
:	O
in	O
2018	O
there	O
were	O
over	O
50	O
million	O
Signal	B-Application
users	O
,	O
980	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
of	O
WeChat	B-Application
and	O
1.3	O
billion	O
monthly	O
users	O
of	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
communication	O
technologies	O
used	O
for	O
text-based	O
communication	O
between	O
two	O
(	O
private	O
messaging	B-Protocol
)	O
or	O
more	O
(	O
chat	B-Application
room	O
)	O
participants	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
or	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
networks	O
(	O
see	O
also	O
LAN	B-Protocol
messenger	I-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IM	O
chat	B-Application
happens	O
in	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
importance	O
is	O
that	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
and	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
differ	O
from	O
other	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
email	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
perceived	O
quasi-synchrony	O
of	O
the	O
communications	O
by	O
the	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
IM	O
is	O
basically	O
not	O
necessarily	O
supported	O
by	O
transaction	B-General_Concept
control	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
cases	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
includes	O
added	O
features	O
which	O
can	O
make	O
it	O
even	O
more	O
popular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
users	O
may	O
see	O
each	O
other	O
via	O
webcams	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
talk	B-Device
directly	O
for	O
free	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
using	O
a	O
microphone	B-Application
and	O
headphones	B-Device
or	O
loudspeakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
applications	B-Application
allow	O
file	B-Protocol
transfers	I-Protocol
,	O
although	O
they	O
are	O
usually	O
limited	O
in	O
the	O
permissible	O
file-size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messages	I-Application
are	O
often	O
logged	O
in	O
a	O
local	O
message	O
history	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
persistent	O
nature	O
of	O
emails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
usually	O
follow	O
the	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
model	I-Operating_System
when	O
all	O
clients	O
have	O
to	O
first	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
central	O
server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
requires	O
users	O
to	O
trust	O
this	O
server	B-Application
because	O
messages	O
can	O
generally	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-IM	O
types	O
of	O
chat	B-Application
include	O
multicast	O
transmission	O
,	O
usually	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
chat	B-Application
rooms	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
participants	O
might	O
be	O
anonymous	O
or	O
might	O
be	O
previously	O
known	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
collaborators	O
on	O
a	O
project	O
that	O
is	O
using	O
chat	B-Application
to	O
facilitate	O
communication	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
instant	B-Application
message	I-Application
service	I-Application
center	I-Application
(	O
IMSC	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
network	B-Architecture
element	B-Protocol
in	O
the	O
mobile	O
telephone	O
network	B-Architecture
which	O
delivers	O
instant	B-Application
messages	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
Instant	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
"	O
is	O
a	O
service	O
mark	O
of	O
Time	O
Warner	O
and	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
software	O
not	O
affiliated	O
with	O
AOL	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
in	O
April	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
client	B-Protocol
formerly	O
named	O
Gaim	B-Protocol
(	O
or	O
gaim	B-Protocol
)	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
renamed	O
"	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
modern	O
IM	O
service	O
generally	O
provides	O
its	O
own	O
client	B-Protocol
,	O
either	O
a	O
separately	O
installed	O
piece	O
of	O
software	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
browser-based	B-Application
client	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
normally	O
centralised	O
networks	O
run	O
by	O
the	O
servers	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
operators	O
,	O
unlike	O
peer-to-peer	O
protocols	O
like	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
usually	O
only	O
work	O
within	O
the	O
same	O
IM	O
network	B-Architecture
,	O
although	O
some	O
allow	O
limited	O
function	O
with	O
other	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third	O
party	O
client	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
applications	B-Application
exist	O
that	O
will	O
connect	O
with	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
IM	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
the	O
class	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
that	O
uses	O
the	O
serverless	B-General_Concept
model	O
,	O
which	O
does	O
n't	O
require	O
servers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
IM	O
network	B-Architecture
consists	O
only	O
of	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
serverless	B-General_Concept
messengers	B-Protocol
:	O
RetroShare	B-Application
,	O
Tox	B-Protocol
,	O
Bitmessage	B-Application
,	O
Ricochet	B-Protocol
,	O
Ring	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
examples	O
of	O
popular	O
IM	O
services	O
today	O
include	O
Signal	B-Application
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
Messenger	I-Operating_System
,	O
Viber	B-Application
,	O
Line	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Snapchat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
apps	O
have	O
emphasis	O
on	O
certain	O
uses	O
-	O
for	O
example	O
Skype	B-Application
focuses	O
on	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
,	O
Slack	B-Protocol
focuses	O
on	O
messaging	B-Protocol
and	O
file	O
sharing	O
for	O
work	O
teams	O
,	O
and	O
Snapchat	B-Application
focuses	O
on	O
image	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
offer	O
messaging	B-Protocol
services	O
as	O
a	O
component	O
of	O
their	O
overall	O
platform	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
who	O
also	O
own	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
others	O
have	O
a	O
direct	O
messaging	B-Protocol
function	O
as	O
an	O
additional	O
adjunct	O
component	O
of	O
their	O
social	O
networking	O
platforms	O
,	O
like	O
Instagram	B-Application
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
Tumblr	B-Application
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
either	O
directly	O
or	O
through	O
chat	B-Application
rooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Private	O
chat	B-Application
allows	O
private	O
conversation	O
with	O
another	O
person	O
or	O
a	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
privacy	O
aspect	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
enhanced	O
in	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
ways	O
such	O
as	O
end	O
to	O
end	O
encryption	O
by	O
default	O
like	O
Signal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Or	O
some	O
applications	B-Application
have	O
a	O
timer	O
feature	O
,	O
like	O
Snapchat	B-Application
,	O
where	O
messages	O
,	O
conversations	O
or	O
files	O
such	O
as	O
photos	O
are	O
automatically	O
deleted	O
from	O
the	O
users	O
phone	O
once	O
the	O
time	O
limit	O
is	O
reached	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public	O
and	O
group	O
chat	B-Application
features	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
multiple	O
people	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
major	O
IM	O
services	O
and	O
applications	B-Application
offer	O
the	O
call	O
feature	O
for	O
user-to-user	O
calls	O
,	O
conference	O
calls	O
,	O
and	O
voice	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videotelephony	B-Application
using	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
is	O
also	O
possible	O
by	O
some	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
IM	O
applications	B-Application
include	O
in-app	O
games	O
for	O
entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Messenger	B-Protocol
for	O
example	O
introduced	O
these	O
where	O
users	O
could	O
play	O
a	O
game	O
and	O
viewed	O
by	O
friends	O
in	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
application	O
has	O
a	O
built	O
in	O
option	O
to	O
play	O
computer	O
games	O
with	O
people	O
in	O
a	O
chat	B-Application
,	O
including	O
games	O
like	O
Tetris	B-Device
and	O
Blackjack	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
a	O
relatively	O
new	O
feature	O
,	O
peer-to-peer	O
payments	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
major	O
messaging	B-Protocol
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
service	O
fee	O
also	O
makes	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
advantageous	O
to	O
financial	O
applications	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
messenger	I-Protocol
and	O
WeChat	B-Application
already	O
offer	O
a	O
payment	O
feature	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
functionality	O
is	O
likely	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
standard	O
amongst	O
IM	O
apps	O
competing	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
term	O
dates	O
from	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
predates	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
first	O
appearing	O
on	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
like	O
Compatible	B-Operating_System
Time-Sharing	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
(	O
CTSS	O
)	O
and	O
Multiplexed	B-Application
Information	I-Application
and	I-Application
Computing	I-Application
Service	I-Application
(	O
Multics	B-Application
)	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1960s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parallel	O
to	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
were	O
early	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
facilities	O
,	O
the	O
earliest	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
Talkomatic	B-Protocol
(	O
1973	O
)	O
on	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
5	O
people	O
to	O
chat	B-Application
simultaneously	O
on	O
a	O
512	O
x	B-Operating_System
512	O
plasma	O
display	O
(	O
5	O
lines	O
of	O
text	O
+	O
1	O
status	O
line	B-Application
per	O
person	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
BBS	O
)	O
phenomenon	O
that	O
peaked	O
during	O
the	O
1980s	O
,	O
some	O
systems	O
incorporated	O
chat	B-Application
features	O
which	O
were	O
similar	O
to	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
;	O
Freelancin	O
 '	O
Roundtable	O
was	O
one	O
prime	O
example	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
such	O
general-availability	O
commercial	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
service	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
was	O
educational	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
CompuServe	B-Protocol
CB	I-Protocol
Simulator	O
in	O
1980	O
,	O
created	O
by	O
CompuServe	O
executive	O
Alexander	O
"	O
Sandy	O
"	O
Trevor	O
in	O
Columbus	O
,	O
Ohio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
talk	B-Device
,	O
ntalk	B-Device
and	O
ytalk	B-Device
)	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
required	O
peers	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
a	O
server	B-Application
(	O
see	O
talker	B-Protocol
and	O
IRC	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Zephyr	B-Protocol
Notification	I-Protocol
Service	I-Protocol
(	O
still	O
in	O
use	O
at	O
some	O
institutions	O
)	O
was	O
invented	O
at	O
MIT	O
's	O
Project	B-Operating_System
Athena	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
to	O
allow	O
service	O
providers	O
to	O
locate	O
and	O
send	O
messages	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
programs	O
were	O
primarily	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
text	O
,	O
where	O
characters	O
appeared	O
as	O
they	O
were	O
typed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
the	O
Unix	B-Operating_System
"	B-Device
talk	I-Device
"	I-Device
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
program	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
BBS	O
chat	B-Protocol
programs	I-Protocol
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Celerity	B-Protocol
BBS	I-Protocol
)	O
also	O
used	O
a	O
similar	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
implementations	O
of	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
text	O
also	O
exist	O
in	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
AOL	O
's	O
Real-Time	B-General_Concept
IM	O
as	O
an	O
optional	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
latter	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
into	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
,	O
the	O
Quantum	O
Link	O
online	O
service	O
for	O
Commodore	O
64	O
computers	O
offered	O
user-to-user	O
messages	O
between	O
concurrently	O
connected	O
customers	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
called	O
"	O
On-Line	O
Messages	O
"	O
(	O
or	O
OLM	O
for	O
short	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
"	O
FlashMail.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Quantum	O
Link	O
later	O
became	O
America	O
Online	O
and	O
made	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
(	O
AIM	B-Protocol
,	O
discussed	O
later	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
Quantum	O
Link	O
client	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
ran	O
on	O
a	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
using	O
only	O
the	O
Commodore	O
's	O
PETSCII	B-Protocol
text-graphics	O
,	O
the	O
screen	O
was	O
visually	O
divided	O
into	O
sections	O
and	O
OLMs	O
would	O
appear	O
as	O
a	O
yellow	O
bar	O
saying	O
"	O
Message	O
From	O
:	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
sender	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
message	O
across	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
whatever	O
the	O
user	O
was	O
already	O
doing	O
,	O
and	O
presented	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
options	O
for	O
responding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
considered	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
,	O
albeit	O
much	O
more	O
primitive	O
than	O
the	O
later	O
Unix	B-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
Macintosh	B-Device
based	O
GUI	B-Application
IM	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
,	O
Internet-wide	O
,	O
GUI-based	O
messaging	B-Protocol
clients	O
as	O
they	O
are	O
known	O
today	O
,	O
began	O
to	O
take	O
off	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
with	O
PowWow	B-Protocol
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
functionality	O
was	O
offered	O
by	O
CU-SeeMe	B-Protocol
in	O
1992	O
;	O
though	O
primarily	O
an	O
audio/video	O
chat	O
link	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
also	O
send	O
textual	O
messages	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
later	O
acquired	O
Mirabilis	O
,	O
the	O
authors	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
;	O
establishing	O
dominance	O
in	O
the	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
years	O
later	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
(	O
then	O
owned	O
by	O
AOL	O
)	O
was	O
awarded	O
two	O
patents	O
for	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
patent	O
office	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
other	O
companies	O
developed	O
their	O
own	O
software	O
;	O
(	O
Excite	B-Application
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
,	O
Ubique	O
,	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
proprietary	O
protocol	O
and	O
client	B-Protocol
;	O
users	O
therefore	O
had	O
to	O
run	O
multiple	O
client	B-Protocol
applications	I-Protocol
if	O
they	O
wished	O
to	O
use	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
IBM	O
released	O
IBM	B-Protocol
Lotus	I-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
product	O
based	O
on	O
technology	O
acquired	O
when	O
IBM	O
bought	O
Haifa-based	O
Ubique	O
and	O
Lexington-based	O
Databeam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
an	O
open-source	B-Application
application	I-Application
and	O
open	O
standards-based	O
protocol	O
called	O
Jabber	B-Protocol
was	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protocol	O
was	O
standardized	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Extensible	B-Protocol
Messaging	I-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
Presence	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XMPP	B-Protocol
servers	O
could	O
act	O
as	O
gateways	O
to	O
other	O
IM	O
protocols	O
,	O
reducing	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
run	O
multiple	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	B-Protocol
Lotus	I-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
's	O
November	O
2007	O
release	O
added	O
IBM	B-Protocol
Lotus	I-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
Gateway	I-Protocol
support	O
for	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
using	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
also	O
started	O
taking	O
off	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Protocol
NetMeeting	I-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
,	O
but	O
Skype	B-Application
released	O
in	O
2003	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
that	O
focused	O
on	O
this	O
features	O
and	O
brought	O
it	O
to	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2006	O
,	O
AIM	B-Protocol
controlled	O
52	O
percent	O
of	O
the	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
market	O
,	O
but	O
rapidly	O
declined	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
struggled	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
other	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2010	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
over	O
the	O
Web	O
was	O
in	O
sharp	O
decline	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
messaging	B-Protocol
features	O
on	O
social	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Social	O
networking	O
providers	O
often	O
offer	O
IM	O
abilities	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Chat	I-Protocol
,	O
while	O
Twitter	B-Application
can	O
be	O
thought	O
of	O
as	O
a	O
Web	O
2.0	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
server-side	O
chat	B-Application
features	O
are	O
part	O
of	O
most	O
dating	O
websites	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
OkCupid	B-Application
or	O
PlentyofFish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
former	O
most	O
popular	O
IM	O
platforms	O
were	O
terminated	O
in	O
later	O
years	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
AIM	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
was	O
soon	O
revived	O
with	O
new	O
services	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
mobile	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
notable	O
examples	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
being	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
(	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
2005	O
;	O
today	O
available	O
as	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
Enterprise	O
)	O
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
(	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
2009	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
IM	O
applications	B-Application
,	O
these	O
newer	O
ones	O
usually	O
ran	O
only	O
on	O
mobile	O
devices	O
and	O
coincided	O
with	O
the	O
rising	O
popularity	O
of	O
Internet-enabled	O
smartphones	B-Application
;	O
this	O
led	O
to	O
IM	O
surpassing	O
SMS	B-Device
in	O
message	O
volume	O
by	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
alone	O
accommodated	O
30	O
billion	O
messages	O
daily	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
about	O
20	O
billion	O
for	O
SMS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
intelligent	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
that	O
incorporated	O
machine	O
learning	O
technology	O
called	O
Allo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Allo	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standard	O
complementary	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
applications	B-Application
offer	O
functions	O
like	O
file	B-Protocol
transfer	I-Protocol
,	O
contact	O
list(s )	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
hold	O
several	O
simultaneous	O
conversations	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
may	O
be	O
all	O
the	O
functions	O
that	O
a	O
small	O
business	O
needs	O
,	O
but	O
larger	O
organizations	O
will	O
require	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
applications	B-Application
that	O
can	O
work	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
solution	O
to	O
finding	O
applications	B-Application
capable	O
of	O
this	O
is	O
to	O
use	O
enterprise	O
versions	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
applications	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
titles	O
like	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
,	O
Lotus	B-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
,	O
Microsoft	B-Protocol
Office	I-Protocol
Communicator	I-Protocol
,	O
etc.	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
often	O
integrated	O
with	O
other	O
enterprise	B-Application
applications	I-Application
such	O
as	O
workflow	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
enterprise	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
or	O
enterprise	B-Architecture
application	I-Architecture
integration	I-Architecture
(	O
EAI	O
)	O
,	O
are	O
built	O
to	O
certain	O
constraints	O
,	O
namely	O
storing	O
data	O
in	O
a	O
common	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
been	O
several	O
attempts	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
unified	O
standard	O
for	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
:	O
IETF	O
's	O
Session	B-Application
Initiation	I-Application
Protocol	I-Application
(	O
SIP	O
)	O
and	O
SIP	O
for	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
and	O
Presence	O
Leveraging	O
Extensions	O
(	O
SIMPLE	O
)	O
,	O
Application	O
Exchange	O
(	O
APEX	O
)	O
,	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
and	O
Presence	O
Protocol	O
(	O
IMPP	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
open	O
XML-based	O
Extensible	B-Protocol
Messaging	I-Protocol
and	I-Protocol
Presence	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
and	O
Open	O
Mobile	O
Alliance	O
's	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
and	O
Presence	O
Service	O
developed	O
specifically	O
for	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
attempts	O
at	O
producing	O
a	O
unified	O
standard	O
for	O
the	O
major	O
IM	O
providers	O
(	O
AOL	O
,	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
This	O
agreement	O
enabled	O
AIM	B-Protocol
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
and	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
users	O
to	O
talk	B-Device
with	O
Reuters	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
counterparts	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
this	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
and	O
AOL	O
agreed	O
to	O
a	O
deal	O
in	O
which	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Live	B-Protocol
Communications	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
2005	I-Protocol
users	O
would	O
also	O
have	O
the	O
possibility	O
to	O
talk	B-Device
to	O
public	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
deal	O
established	O
SIP/SIMPLE	O
as	O
a	O
standard	O
for	O
protocol	O
interoperability	O
and	O
established	O
a	O
connectivity	O
fee	O
for	O
accessing	O
public	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
groups	O
or	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Separately	O
,	O
on	O
October	O
13	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
announced	O
that	O
by	O
the	O
3rd	O
quarter	O
of	O
2006	O
they	O
would	O
interoperate	O
using	O
SIP/SIMPLE	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
followed	O
,	O
in	O
December	O
2005	O
,	O
by	O
the	O
AOL	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
strategic	O
partnership	O
deal	O
in	O
which	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
users	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
AIM	B-Protocol
and	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
users	O
provided	O
they	O
have	O
an	O
AIM	B-Protocol
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combine	O
the	O
many	O
disparate	O
protocols	O
inside	O
the	O
IM	O
client	B-Protocol
application	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combine	O
the	O
many	O
disparate	O
protocols	O
inside	O
the	O
IM	O
server	B-Application
application	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
approach	O
moves	O
the	O
task	O
of	O
communicating	O
with	O
the	O
other	O
services	O
to	O
the	O
server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
LCS	B-Protocol
2005	I-Protocol
Public	O
IM	O
Connectivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
approach	O
is	O
popular	O
in	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
servers	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
so-called	O
transport	O
projects	O
suffer	O
the	O
same	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
difficulties	O
as	O
any	O
other	O
project	O
involved	O
with	O
closed	O
protocols	O
or	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
approaches	O
allow	O
organizations	O
to	O
deploy	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
private	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
network	B-Architecture
by	O
enabling	O
them	O
to	O
restrict	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
server	B-Application
(	O
often	O
with	O
the	O
IM	O
network	B-Architecture
entirely	O
behind	O
their	O
firewall	B-Application
)	O
and	O
administer	O
user	O
permissions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
corporate	O
messaging	B-Protocol
systems	O
allow	O
registered	O
users	O
to	O
also	O
connect	O
from	O
outside	O
the	O
corporation	O
LAN	O
,	O
by	O
using	O
an	O
encrypted	O
,	O
firewall-friendly	O
,	O
HTTPS-based	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usually	O
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
corporate	O
IM	O
server	B-Application
has	O
several	O
advantages	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
pre-populated	O
contact	B-Protocol
lists	I-Protocol
,	O
integrated	O
authentication	O
,	O
and	O
better	O
security	O
and	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
networks	O
have	O
made	O
changes	O
to	O
prevent	O
them	O
from	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
such	O
multi-network	O
IM	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Trillian	B-Protocol
had	O
to	O
release	O
several	O
revisions	O
and	O
patches	O
to	O
allow	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
MSN	B-Protocol
,	O
AOL	O
,	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
proprietary	O
protocols	O
has	O
meant	O
that	O
many	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
networks	O
have	O
been	O
incompatible	O
and	O
users	O
have	O
been	O
unable	O
to	O
reach	O
users	O
on	O
other	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
may	O
have	O
allowed	O
social	O
networking	O
with	O
IM-like	O
features	O
and	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
gain	O
market	O
share	O
at	O
the	O
expense	O
of	O
IM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
have	O
affected	O
the	O
way	O
people	O
communicate	O
on	O
their	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
survey	O
conducted	O
by	O
MetrixLabs	O
showed	O
that	O
63%	O
of	O
Baby	O
Boomers	O
,	O
63%	O
of	O
Generation	O
X	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
67%	O
of	O
Generation	O
Y	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
used	O
messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
in	O
place	O
of	O
texting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Facebook	B-Application
survey	O
showed	O
that	O
65%	O
of	O
people	O
surveyed	O
thought	O
that	O
messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
made	O
group	O
messaging	B-Protocol
easier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
have	O
also	O
changed	O
how	O
people	O
communicate	O
in	O
the	O
workplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enterprise	O
messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
like	O
Slack	B-Protocol
,	O
TeleMessage	O
,	O
Teamnote	B-Protocol
and	O
Yammer	O
allow	O
companies	O
to	O
enforce	O
policies	O
on	O
how	O
employees	O
message	O
at	O
work	O
and	O
ensure	O
secure	O
storage	O
of	O
sensitive	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Message	O
applications	B-Application
allow	O
employees	O
to	O
separate	O
work	O
information	O
from	O
their	O
personal	O
emails	O
and	O
texts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
may	O
make	O
workplace	O
communication	O
efficient	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
can	O
also	O
have	O
consequences	O
on	O
productivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
study	O
at	O
Slack	B-Protocol
showed	O
on	O
average	O
,	O
people	O
spend	O
10	O
hours	O
a	O
day	O
on	O
Slack	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
is	O
about	O
67%	O
more	O
time	O
than	O
they	O
spend	O
using	O
email	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
language	O
has	O
become	O
widespread	O
,	O
with	O
well-known	O
expressions	O
such	O
as	O
'	O
lol	B-Application
 '	O
translated	O
over	O
to	O
face-to-face	O
language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Emotions	O
are	O
often	O
expressed	O
in	O
shorthand	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
abbreviation	O
LOL	B-Application
,	O
BRB	O
and	O
TTYL	O
;	O
respectively	O
laugh(ing )	O
out	O
loud	O
,	O
be	O
right	O
back	O
,	O
and	O
talk	B-Device
to	O
you	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
has	O
proven	O
to	O
be	O
similar	O
to	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
email	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
its	O
adoption	O
for	O
use	O
as	O
a	O
business	O
communications	O
medium	O
was	O
driven	O
primarily	O
by	O
individual	O
employees	O
using	O
consumer	O
software	O
at	O
work	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
by	O
formal	O
mandate	O
or	O
provisioning	O
by	O
corporate	O
information	O
technology	O
departments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
demand	O
for	O
business-grade	O
IM	O
and	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
ensure	O
security	O
and	O
legal	O
compliance	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
type	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
,	O
called	O
"	O
Enterprise	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
"	O
(	O
"	O
EIM	O
"	O
)	O
was	O
created	O
when	O
Lotus	O
Software	O
launched	O
IBM	B-Protocol
Lotus	I-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
followed	O
suit	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
with	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Exchange	I-Operating_System
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
,	O
later	O
created	O
a	O
new	O
platform	O
called	O
Microsoft	B-Protocol
Office	I-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Communications	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
released	O
Office	B-Protocol
Communications	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
2007	O
in	O
October	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Oracle	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
also	O
jumped	O
into	O
the	O
market	O
with	O
its	O
Oracle	B-Protocol
Beehive	I-Protocol
unified	O
collaboration	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
IBM	O
Lotus	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
have	O
introduced	O
federation	O
between	O
their	O
EIM	O
systems	O
and	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
public	O
IM	O
networks	O
so	O
that	O
employees	O
may	O
use	O
one	O
interface	O
to	O
both	O
their	O
internal	O
EIM	O
system	O
and	O
their	O
contacts	O
on	O
AOL	O
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2010	O
,	O
leading	O
EIM	O
platforms	O
include	O
IBM	B-Protocol
Lotus	I-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
,	O
Microsoft	B-Protocol
Office	I-Protocol
Communications	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
,	O
Jabber	B-Protocol
XCP	O
and	O
Cisco	O
Unified	O
Presence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Industry-focused	O
EIM	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
Reuters	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
and	O
Bloomberg	O
Messaging	B-Protocol
also	O
provide	O
IM	O
abilities	O
to	O
financial	O
services	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Companies	O
implement	O
specialized	O
IM	O
archiving	O
and	O
security	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
to	O
mitigate	O
these	O
risks	O
and	O
provide	O
safe	O
,	O
secure	O
,	O
productive	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
abilities	O
to	O
their	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IM	O
is	O
increasingly	O
becoming	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
enterprise	B-Application
software	I-Application
rather	O
than	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IM	O
products	O
can	O
usually	O
be	O
categorised	O
into	O
two	O
types	O
:	O
Enterprise	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
(	O
EIM	O
)	O
and	O
Consumer	O
Instant	B-Application
Messaging	I-Application
(	O
CIM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enterprise	O
solutions	O
use	O
an	O
internal	O
IM	O
server	B-Application
,	O
however	O
this	O
is	O
not	O
always	O
feasible	O
,	O
particularly	O
for	O
smaller	O
businesses	O
with	O
limited	O
budgets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
option	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
CIM	O
provides	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
being	O
inexpensive	O
to	O
implement	O
and	O
has	O
little	O
need	O
for	O
investing	O
in	O
new	O
hardware	O
or	O
server	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
a	O
bunch	O
of	O
open	O
source	O
encrypting	O
messengers	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
different	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
in	O
organizations	O
requires	O
use	O
of	O
software	O
that	O
supports	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
many	O
software	O
companies	O
use	O
Windows	B-Application
in	O
administration	O
departments	O
but	O
have	O
software	O
developers	O
who	O
use	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SMS	B-Device
is	O
the	O
acronym	O
for	O
“	O
short	O
message	O
service	O
”	O
and	O
allows	O
mobile	O
phone	O
users	O
to	O
send	O
text	O
messages	O
without	O
an	O
Internet	O
connection	O
,	O
while	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
provides	O
similar	O
services	O
through	O
an	O
Internet	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SMS	B-Device
was	O
a	O
much	O
more	O
dominant	O
form	O
of	O
communication	O
before	O
smartphones	B-Application
became	O
widely	O
used	O
globally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
SMS	B-Device
relied	O
on	O
traditional	O
paid	O
telephone	O
services	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
apps	O
on	O
mobiles	O
were	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
or	O
a	O
minor	O
data	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
SMS	B-Device
volume	O
peaked	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2013	O
chat	B-Application
apps	O
surpassed	O
SMS	B-Device
in	O
global	O
message	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Easier	O
group	O
messaging	B-Protocol
was	O
another	O
advantage	O
of	O
smartphone	B-Application
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
and	O
also	O
contributed	O
to	O
their	O
adoption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
,	O
smartphone	B-Application
users	O
could	O
only	O
participate	O
in	O
single-person	O
interactions	O
via	O
mobile	O
voice	O
calls	O
or	O
SMS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
,	O
the	O
group	O
chat	B-Application
functionality	O
allows	O
all	O
the	O
members	O
to	O
see	O
an	O
entire	O
thread	O
of	O
everyone	O
's	O
responses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
SMS	B-Device
still	O
remains	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
because	O
it	O
is	O
usually	O
included	O
free	O
in	O
monthly	O
phone	O
bundles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
SMS	B-Device
volumes	O
in	O
some	O
countries	O
like	O
Denmark	O
,	O
Spain	O
and	O
Singapore	O
dropped	O
up	O
to	O
two-thirds	O
from	O
2011	O
to	O
2013	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
SMS	B-Device
use	O
only	O
dropped	O
by	O
about	O
one	O
quarter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viruses	O
,	O
computer	O
worms	O
,	O
and	O
trojans	O
usually	O
propagate	O
by	O
sending	O
themselves	O
rapidly	O
through	O
the	O
infected	O
user	O
's	O
contact	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
effective	O
attack	O
using	O
a	O
poisoned	O
URL	O
may	O
reach	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
users	O
in	O
a	O
short	O
period	O
when	O
each	O
user	O
's	O
contact	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
receives	O
messages	O
appearing	O
to	O
be	O
from	O
a	O
trusted	O
friend	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
IM	O
client	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
often	O
requires	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
expose	O
open	O
UDP	B-Protocol
ports	O
to	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
raising	O
the	O
threat	O
posed	O
by	O
potential	O
security	O
vulnerabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
preferred	O
platform	O
for	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
security	O
software	O
had	O
become	O
the	O
"	O
computer	B-Architecture
appliance	I-Architecture
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
IDC	O
,	O
who	O
estimated	O
that	O
by	O
2008	O
,	O
80%	O
of	O
network	B-Architecture
security	O
products	O
would	O
be	O
delivered	O
via	O
an	O
appliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2014	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
safety	O
offered	O
by	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
was	O
still	O
extremely	O
poor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
scorecard	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
,	O
only	O
7	O
out	O
of	O
39	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
received	O
a	O
perfect	O
score	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
only	O
attained	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
2	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Encryption	O
is	O
the	O
primary	O
method	O
that	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
use	O
to	O
protect	O
user	O
's	O
data	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SMS	B-Device
messages	O
are	O
not	O
encrypted	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
insecure	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
content	O
of	O
each	O
SMS	B-Device
message	O
is	O
visible	O
to	O
mobile	O
carriers	O
and	O
governments	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
intercepted	O
by	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SMS	B-Device
messages	O
also	O
leak	O
metadata	O
,	O
or	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
message	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
the	O
message	O
content	O
itself	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
phone	O
numbers	O
of	O
the	O
sender	O
and	O
recipient	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
identify	O
the	O
people	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
conversation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SMS	B-Device
messages	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
spoofed	O
and	O
the	O
sender	O
of	O
the	O
message	O
can	O
be	O
edited	O
to	O
impersonate	O
another	O
person	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Protocol
applications	B-Application
on	O
the	O
market	O
that	O
use	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
include	O
Signal	B-Application
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
Wire	B-Application
and	O
iMessage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	B-Application
that	O
have	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
lacking	O
or	O
poor	O
encryption	O
methods	O
include	O
Telegram	B-Application
and	O
Confide	B-Application
,	O
as	O
both	O
are	O
prone	O
to	O
error	O
or	O
not	O
having	O
encryption	O
enabled	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
malicious	O
code	O
threat	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
at	O
work	O
also	O
creates	O
a	O
risk	O
of	O
non-compliance	O
to	O
laws	O
and	O
regulations	O
governing	O
use	O
of	O
electronic	O
communications	O
in	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
alone	O
there	O
are	O
over	O
10,000	O
laws	O
and	O
regulations	O
related	O
to	O
electronic	O
messaging	B-Protocol
and	O
records	O
retention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clarification	O
from	O
the	O
Financial	O
Industry	O
Regulatory	O
Authority	O
(	O
FINRA	O
)	O
was	O
issued	O
to	O
member	O
firms	O
in	O
the	O
financial	O
services	O
industry	O
in	O
December	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
"	O
electronic	O
communications	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
email	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
electronic	O
correspondence	O
"	O
may	O
be	O
used	O
interchangeably	O
and	O
can	O
include	O
such	O
forms	O
of	O
electronic	O
messaging	B-Protocol
as	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
and	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
nations	O
also	O
regulate	O
use	O
of	O
electronic	O
messaging	B-Protocol
and	O
electronic	O
records	O
retention	O
in	O
similar	O
fashion	O
as	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
communications	O
fall	O
into	O
the	O
category	O
of	O
business	O
communications	O
that	O
must	O
be	O
archived	O
and	O
retrievable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
used	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
worldwide	O
include	O
:	O
Signal	B-Application
with	O
100	O
million	O
,	O
Line	B-Application
with	O
217	O
million	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
with	O
260	O
million	O
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
with	O
700	O
million	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
with	O
1.2	O
billion	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
with	O
1.3	O
billion	O
,	O
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
with	O
2.0	O
billion	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
25	O
countries	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
where	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
is	O
not	O
the	O
market	O
leader	O
in	O
messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
Australia	O
,	O
New	O
Zealand	O
,	O
Denmark	O
,	O
Norway	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
Hungary	O
,	O
Lithuania	O
,	O
Poland	O
,	O
Slovakia	O
,	O
Philippines	O
,	O
and	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
have	O
varying	O
levels	O
of	O
adoption	O
in	O
different	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WhatsApp	B-Application
by	O
Meta	O
Platforms	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
several	O
countries	O
in	O
South	O
America	O
,	O
Western	O
Europe	O
,	O
Africa	O
,	O
Middle	O
East	O
,	O
South	O
Asia	O
,	O
and	O
Southeast	O
Asia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
by	O
Meta	O
Platforms	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Northern	O
Europe	O
,	O
some	O
Central	O
Europe	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
Oceania	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telegram	B-Application
is	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
several	O
Eastern	O
Europe	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
second	O
preferred	O
option	O
after	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
in	O
several	O
countries	O
in	O
Western	O
Europe	O
,	O
Middle	O
East	O
,	O
South	O
Asia	O
,	O
Southeast	O
Asia	O
,	O
Africa	O
,	O
Central	O
and	O
South	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
by	O
Rakuten	O
has	O
a	O
strong	O
presence	O
in	O
Central	O
and	O
Eastern	O
Europe	O
(	O
Bulgaria	O
,	O
Greece	O
,	O
Serbia	O
,	O
Ukraine	O
,	O
Russia	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	B-Application
by	O
Naver	O
Corporation	O
is	O
used	O
widely	O
in	O
some	O
countries	O
in	O
Asia	O
(	O
Japan	O
,	O
Taiwan	O
,	O
Thailand	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messaging	B-Application
apps	I-Application
that	O
are	O
predominately	O
used	O
in	O
only	O
one	O
country	O
include	O
:	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
Zalo	O
in	O
Vietnam	O
,	O
WeChat	B-Application
in	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
imo	B-Protocol
in	O
Qatar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
not	O
the	O
dominant	O
app	O
for	O
one-to-one	B-Architecture
messaging	B-Protocol
in	O
any	O
country	O
,	O
Discord	B-Application
is	O
commonly	O
used	O
among	O
online	O
communities	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
support	O
chats	B-Protocol
with	O
a	O
large	O
amount	O
of	O
members	O
,	O
topic-based	O
channels	O
,	O
and	O
cloud-based	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
client	B-Protocol
Company	O
Usage	O
Discord	B-Application
Discord	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
250	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
May	O
2019	O
)	O
eBuddy	B-Application
XMS	I-Application
eBuddy	B-Application
250	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
September	O
2011	O
)	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
Meta	O
Platforms	O
900	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
April	O
2016	O
)	O
,	O
900	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrieved	O
7	O
April	O
2016	O
1.3	O
billion	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
September	O
2017	O
)	O
Google	O
Meet/ChatGoogle	O
LLC	O
iMessage	O
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
140	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
June	O
2012	O
)	O
Kik	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
Kik	B-Protocol
Interactive	I-Protocol
300	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
May	O
2016	O
)	O
LineNaver	O
Corporation217	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
2016	O
)	O
RCS	O
(	O
protocol	O
)	O
GSM	O
Association1200	O
million	O
users(January 2021 )	O
,	O
about	O
500	O
million	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
December	O
2020	O
)	O
SignalSignal	O
Foundation100	O
million	O
2022	O
Skype	B-Application
Microsoft	O
Corporation	O
300	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
5	O
June	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
1.55	O
billion	O
registered	O
users	O
(	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
4.9	O
million	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
2	O
March	O
2014	O
)	O
,	O
34	O
million	O
peak	O
online	O
(	O
February	O
2012	O
)	O
.SnapchatSnap	O
Inc.301	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
2016	O
)	O
TelegramTelegram	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
LLP700	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
June	O
2022	O
)	O
,	O
500	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
January	O
2021	O
)	O
over	O
1	O
billion	O
registered	O
users	O
(	O
2021	O
)	O
Tencent	O
QQTencent	O
Holdings	O
Limited823	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
July	O
2019	O
)	O
ViberRakuten260	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
January	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
1.169	O
billion	O
registered	O
users	O
(	O
March	O
2020	O
)	O
WeChatTencent	O
Holdings	O
Limited1300	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
September	O
2022	O
)	O
WhatsAppMeta	O
Platforms1200	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
January	O
2017	O
)	O
,	O
2000	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
(	O
12	O
February	O
2020	O
)	O
,	O
500	O
million	O
daily	O
active	O
users	O
(	O
March	O
2019	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XMPP	B-Protocol
(	O
Protocol	O
used	O
by	O
multiple	O
clients	O
)	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
Standards	I-Protocol
Foundation	I-Protocol
1200+	O
million	O
(	O
September	O
2011	O
)	O
This	O
number	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
accounts	O
(	O
)	O
Google	B-Application
talk	I-Application
and	O
WLM	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
servers	O
are	O
not	O
federated	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
,	O
do	O
not	O
actually	O
interact	O
as	O
is	O
usually	O
expected	O
of	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
client	B-Protocol
Company	O
Usage	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
BlackBerry	O
91	O
million	O
total	O
users	O
(	O
October	O
2014	O
)	O
91	O
million	O
Active	O
BBM	B-Application
Users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrieved	O
6	O
March	O
2015	O
Element	B-Protocol
New	O
Vector	O
20+	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
November	O
2020	O
)	O
Gadu-Gadu	B-Application
GG	O
Network	B-Architecture
S.A.	O
6.5	O
million	O
users	O
active	O
daily	O
(	O
majority	O
in	O
Poland	O
)	O
(	O
June	O
2010	O
)	O
IBM	B-Protocol
Sametime	I-Protocol
IBM	O
Corp	O
.	O
20	O
million	O
users	O
(	O
February	O
2006	O
)	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
ICQ	B-Protocol
LLC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
client	B-Protocol
Company	O
Usage	O
AIM	B-Protocol
AOL	O
,	O
Inc	O
Closed	O
in	O
December	O
2017	O
Hike	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
Hike	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
Closed	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
MXit	B-Protocol
MXit	B-Protocol
Lifestyle	I-Protocol
(	O
Pty	O
)	O
Ltd.MXit	O
federates	O
with	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Talk	B-Device
network	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Closed	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
RTC	O
rtcim.com	O
10	O
million	O
users	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
Microsoft	O
Corporation	O
Closed	O
in	O
April	O
2013	O
,	O
China	O
in	O
October	O
2014	O
Xfire	B-Protocol
Xfire	B-Protocol
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
Closed	O
in	O
June	O
2015	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
