Well, well, well.
I think it's time to talk about Whatsapp, owned by Facebook. Since I started my journey towards privacy and as you can see from my previous post, Whatsapp is not transparent as we think.
Also see what happened three days ago: https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/whatsapp-click-to-chat-numbers-google-leak/
By the way, I want to speak about is the encryption. As I told before, Whatsapp encryption is based on Signal protocol, one of most reliable way to encrypt messages.
If you want to go further:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol
there are other issues that makes me doubtful about Whatsapp.
Backups
Everybody (and also me) usually backups their Whatsapp
conversations. Nobody wants to misplace their own. Especially the ones with our affections. BUT if I backup my conversations, are they encrypted?BIG NO
They are online (usually on iCloud or Google Drive) without encryption. This has absolutely NO-SENSE.
Whatsapp web is not encrypted.
Have I to tell you something more?
Facebook metadata
Since 2016 Whatsapp can share some information with Facebook. What kind? Well, not messages, but Whatsapp has right to access to: your contacts, your location, your storage, when you are online, offline etc. Plus, your phone number. Not directly from your messages, because they are encrypted, but through logs and metadata.
what is metadata? Let Snowden help us.
Are your readers having trouble understanding the term "metadata"? Replace it with "activity records." That's what they are. #clarity
Going to the end of this article (maybe) and freely quoting from their policy:
https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/#privacy-policy-how-we-use-information
Usage and Log Information. We collect service-related, diagnostic, and performance information. This includes information about your activity (such as how you use our Services, how you interact with others using our Services, and the like), log files, and diagnostic, crash, website, and performance logs and reports.
Device And Connection Information. We collect device and connection-specific information when you install, access, or use our Services. This includes information like hardware model, operating system information, battery level, signal strength, app version, browser information, and mobile network, connection information including phone number, mobile operator or ISP, language and time zone, and IP, device operations information, and identifiers like device identifiers (including identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account).
Location Information. We collect device location information if you use our location features, like when you choose to share your location with your contacts, view locations nearby or those others have shared with you, and the like, and for diagnostics and troubleshooting purposes such as if you are having trouble with our app's location features. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP, GPS, Bluetooth signals, and information about nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and cell towers.
Cookies. We use cookies to operate and provide our Services, including to provide our Services that are web-based, improve your experiences, understand how our Services are being used, and customize our Services. For example, we use cookies to provide WhatsApp for web and desktop and other web-based services. We may also use cookies to understand which of our FAQs are most popular and to show you relevant content related to our Services. Additionally, we may use cookies to remember your choices, like your language preferences, to provide a safer experience, and otherwise to customize our Services for you. Learn more about how we use cookies to provide you our Services.
Third-Party Service Providers. We work with third-party service providers and the Facebook Companies to help us operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services. For example, we work with companies to distribute our apps, provide our infrastructure, delivery, and other systems, supply location, map, and places information, process payments, help us understand how people use our Services, market our Services, help you connect with businesses using our Services, conduct surveys and research for us, and help with customer service. These companies may provide us information about you in certain circumstances; for example, app stores may provide us reports to help us diagnose and fix service issues.
Third-Party Services. We allow you to use our Services in connection with third-party services and Facebook Company Products. If you use our Services with such third-party services or Facebook Company Products, we may receive information about you from them; for example, if you use the WhatsApp share button on a news service to share a news article with your WhatsApp contacts, groups, or broadcast lists on our Services, or if you choose to access our Services through a mobile carrier's or device provider's promotion of our Services. Please note that when you use third-party services or Facebook Company Products, their own terms and privacy policies will govern those services.
Where all those information goes? Only god and Facebook know.
Soo, now, have a look to Signal privacy policy.
https://www.signal.org/legal/#privacy-policy
