Facebook has announced plans to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. No official details have been released, however The New York Times reported that the merger is expected to take place by early next year.

The merger is intended to create “the best messaging experiences” for the billions of users around the world who use the Facebook-owned apps.

It has been stated that the apps will remain distinct from each other, although the underlying messaging infrastructure would be unified. A spokesperson for Facebook said the merger would deliver a messaging platform that was fast, simple, reliable and private.

Data experts have, however, warned it could have an impact on people’s privacy. Currently WhatsApp users are not required to provide any identifying information beyond their phone number to use the messaging app. Merging WhatsApp with Facebook Messenger and Instagram, could result in users being forced to share information about themselves that they would prefer to keep private.

Data privacy expert Tim Mackey, who works at the software firm Synopsys, stated “Merging personal information and privacy configurations from three significant applications won’t be trivial…Facebook development teams would do well to look at this precedent and prioritise user privacy”.

Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately £761m in 2012, before taking over the messaging app WhatsApp in 2014 for an estimated £14.7bn. Since the acquisition, both apps have rapidly grown. Instagram has around 1 billion monthly active users and WhatsApp has 1.5 billion users. Despite the expansion, it has been noted that all original founders of the apps have since left Facebook.