More and more track of our online activity, stored, shared and sold. We are in a constant fight to protect our data and we just need more than the best VPN – we need the entire privacy arsenal.
The best encrypted messaging apps represent one of these devices and WhatsApp is the most popular.
The app provides the end-to-end encrypted messages, calls and videos, and WhatsApp states that it cannot even see.
But WhatsApp has now introduced advertisements in its app, breaking its founding values. Forbes told The target advertisement was a factor of co-founder Brian Acton who was leaving the company in 2017.
With advertisements, WhatsApp has a metadata problem. It is true that your messages are end-to-end encrypted and WhatsApp cannot see them-but it can see your metadata.
All of this combines a growing privacy problem for WhatsApp. Is it a more secure and private message time to go to service?
Breaking the promise of secrecy?
On 16 June, WhatsApp announced that advertisements were coming on stage for the first time. Meta – who owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram – said that he would appear in the “update” tab of WhatsApp.
This tab is home to the “channels” and “status” features of WhatsApp, which allows users to take membership and look and see updates from friends and public channels.
Meta has said that no advertisement will appear anywhere else on the app. So if you do not reach the “update” tab, your experience will not change.
But whether an individual user actually sees the advertisement or not, their introduction is a related step and raises many privacy questions.
How are these advertisements applied? What data are they using? How targeted are they? Anywhere there is a targeted advertisement, personal data is being exploited.
Meta says that it has “made these features in the most privacy-oriented manner.” It states that “limited” personal data will be used, and it includes a user’s country or city, language, “channel”, and how they interact with advertisements seen.
Your phone number will be allegedly shared or sold to advertisers. Meta said your personal messages will not be used to generate advertisements you viewed.
Meta also said that if you have added WhatsApp to the Meta account center, it will use your advertising preferences and information from all your meta accounts.
Meta oversees a technical monopoly and is highly likely that you will have an account on at least one service – if not many. Therefore, it raises the question of sharing data on meta platforms.
Data sharing in meta platforms
whats apps Aid center “WhatsApp is prohibited access to personal data, so it can be used by other meta apps – including advertisements.” It lists user number, user safety and alternative features as an exception to this rule.
If you connect WhatsApp to your meta account center, more data will be collected.
Also the data collection listed in WhatsApp Privacy PolicyThe following data will be collected by WhatsApp:
- Device and connection information
- Information about use and log information
WhatsApp will also get data from other meta companies, including:
- Account information and identifier
- Device and connection information
- Your age (as stated on other meta accounts)
When you add WhatsApp to your accounts center, Meta receives the following data:
- Account information, including phone number and profile images
- Age information (if provided)
- User content including status updates,
- Device and connection information
- Use and log information
- “Channel” Data
Meta says it will use the data you have collected, which is to provide, personalize and improve your products and services and it is described about it. Privacy PolicyYour data will be used to show you advertising, measure performance and provide personal features.
According to meta Full year 2024 resultsThe company’s revenue was around $ 164.5 billion and its net income was around $ 62.3 billion.
It has been done Informed About 98% of that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram advertisements are in revenue. Advertisements mean a large rupee for meta, and now it is happening in the WhatsApp Act.
Talk about metadata
There are some ways that you can prevent your personal data from being collected and used by advertising of meta, such as exiting alternative features and not connecting WhatsApp to your account centers.
What is Matadata?
Matadata can be described as data about data. This can reveal information about whom you are communicating with: which includes:
- Geolocation
- IP address
- Date and time of messages
- file size
- Device identifier
- Who sent messages and received
However, metadata is something that cannot be avoided. WhatsApp (and meta) collects it a lot and, detailed in WhatsApp’s privacy policy, now shares data with meta.
The privacy policy was updated in 2021, but it was Informed This data was being divided since 2016.
WhatsApp end-to-end is encrypted and your messages are safe. WhatsApp says that your messages are stored on your device, and are usually not stored on its server.
But this security does not reach metadata. With whom you communicate with, with time, date and location you are doing it, and with which tool can be seen and shared.
With metadata, the actual material of the message becomes meaningless. Any authorities that aim can be identified, and can be probably prosecuted through metadata alone.
Its collection is also a threat to workers, whistleblowers, journalists, or any person living under internet censorship. The identity of these individuals can have disastrous consequences.
Recent proposals to expand Swiss monitoring laws have caught fire as Matadetta has not been protected. Switzerland has long been known as a privacy-centered country and is a dangerous step.
With Swiss-based VPN provider Proton VPN and NYMVPN, safe messaging app Threema, have been very vocal against this law change. But privacy providers have collided with the law – the most specially proton VPN and InfoENIC.
Matadata should never be collected and when it is, privacy is at risk. The most private VPNs do not collect, store or share any of your browsing data – and it includes metadata.
More and more, your connecting IP address, device ID and/or payment information are known. But when you are connected to VPN, nothing is collected and this data is never shared. This is assessed during the audit of no-logs policies, but it is important to know the difference between no-log and zero-log VPN.
Secrecy provider response
The proton has been very vocal against WhatsApp’s metadata collection. Its account on X (Twitter) can be seen responding to WhatsApp tweets and advertisements.
Tom’s guide contacted the proton to discuss the erosion of WhatsApp’s confidentiality credentials. Proton COO Rafael Afan said:
“Simply put, it is a major privacy red flag.”
“WhatsApp was marketed as a safe, advertising location to users. Now, Meta is trying to squeeze profits from a platform that was not fully mashed.
“Matadata can still be used to create a detailed picture of you and your pattern – your location, activities, with which you are talking, language data, and how many times. All these can be used to profile users to profile them.”
“A great risk is the erosion of belief. WhatsApp was once seen as a private place-a change of monitoring-based mudification indicates a change.”
“Simply put, it is a major privacy red flag.”
Rafael form, proton COO
“The users cannot fully understand how much can be obtained from metadata, which is not protected by encryption, and is on the meta to explain it. But also, once, once, once, is in the place of infrastructure for targeted advertisements, it is only a matter of time that data is used more aggressive or leaks.”
Options for WhatsApp
WhatsApp is incredibly popular – especially in the UK and Europe – but there are more private and safe options. We listed some below:
Signal
Signal is a popular, free-to-use messaging app protected by excellent encryption. Its signal protocol is an open source, so that it can be inspected by anyone, but the app is not audited.
It is very low for any metadata – some Proven in court -And all messages, videos, calls and group chats are covered by And-to-end encryption.
The large negative fact of the signal is that it requires a phone number to sign up and match the contacts.
Threesome
Threema is located in Switzerland and End-to-end encryps all your messages, calls, groups and videos. This claims that you can give an anonymous message and collect very few metadata. Its apps are all open sources and have gone through independent audit.
You do not need a phone number or email address to sign up, but the large negative side of threma is not free. There is a payment of $ 6, which is not an eye shower in the grand plan of things, but the threes of the Threema may contribute to the small user base.
Session
The session is based on the signal and any of these apps have some of the most privacy-centric features.
It is end-to-end encrypted, hide the IP address, and collects almost any metadata. It has been audited and does not require a phone number or email address – instead you are provided with a random session ID.
The session operates a decentralized onion network – such as TOR – and it greatly improves the safety, privacy and oblivion of the app.
The biggest problem with the session is this Bug report Last.
Other WhatsApp-Alarmitive are wires, elements, oliveid and telegram. However, telegram is not an end-to-end encrypted by default and there are concerns around the metadata collection.
Proton has made a detailed comparison of some of the best WhatsApp options.
Is it time to dig WhatsApp?
If you are worried about your privacy, yes. The privacy foundation was built on WhatsApp, it has been erased and it is now becoming another cog in the meta anti-proves machine.
Your messages remain safe and encrypted (for now) but the rest of your data are at risk. Advertisements are the latest introduction and it is not possible that the meta will stop there. Meta earns profits from your data and has poor data privacy practices.
But WhatsApp options are used to save yourself and your data online along with VPN.
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