How to Use WhatsApp Privacy Settings?

TL;DR To optimize privacy on WhatsApp, disable read receipts, last seen, and online status. Avoid sharing your contact list, use a secondary device if possible, and encrypt backups.

Adjusting Privacy Settings

One of the first steps to enhance privacy on WhatsApp is to adjust the app's built-in privacy settings. You can disable read receipts, which prevents others from knowing when you've read their messages [1:4]. Additionally, you can hide your "last seen" and online status to prevent contacts from seeing when you were last active or currently online [1:4]. These settings help maintain a level of privacy regarding your activity on the platform.

Managing Contacts and Metadata

WhatsApp collects metadata such as who you communicate with, when, and for how long [2:2]. To limit this, avoid granting WhatsApp access to your full contact list [2:3]. If feasible, consider using a separate phone number or device to further isolate your main contacts from the app [1:2].

Encrypting Backups

Ensure that your chat backups are encrypted. This adds an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized access to your message history stored in the cloud [1:6]. While WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption for messages, backups may not be encrypted by default, so it's crucial to enable this feature.

Using Alternative Devices or Profiles

For those concerned about constant app access, consider installing WhatsApp on a secondary device or setting up a work profile on Android using apps like Shelter [1:1]. This setup allows you to manage WhatsApp separately from your main device, reducing its access to personal data.

Understanding Privacy Limitations

Despite WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption, there are concerns about data privacy due to its ownership by Facebook and the collection of metadata [2:1]. Users should be aware that while messages are encrypted, other data such as location and user habits can still be collected and potentially monetized [2:6]. Therefore, it's important to stay informed about the app's privacy policies and any changes that may affect your data.

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Source Threads

POST SUMMARY • [1]

Summarize

Whatsapp: What are ways to optimize privacy while still using it?

Posted by WishIWasDead2004 · in r/privacy · 3 years ago

7 upvotes on reddit

7 replies

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ORIGINAL POST

What are your suggestions to improve privacy through the default settings, and not using mods?

(And please don't say "delete it". Let's be realistic)

7 replies

techramblings · 3 years ago

If you don't need it to be tied to your main phone number, install it on a crappy old device with a PAYG SIM card, then link it to a browser on another device - i.e. a computer running a privacy-conscious browser. That'll allow you to still keep an eye on messages etc., without having to ever install the Whatsapp App on your main device or give it your main phone number.

3 upvotes on reddit

Melnik2020 · 3 years ago

Don’t talk about info you wouldn’t want to disclose to meta

5 upvotes on reddit

YamiFrankc · 3 years ago

Disable read recipts, last online and online status. Also set it to not autodownload media

8 upvotes on reddit

xkcd__386 · 3 years ago

if you don't need to be reached 24/7 (i.e., it's OK if you manually check it once in a while), then setup a second "user" and install it in that user, so (a) it is not running constantly and (b) it does not have access to your main user's contacts and other info

if you do need to be reached, install "shelter" app to setup what Android calls a "work profile" and install whatsapp in that

7 upvotes on reddit

pfr010 · 3 years ago

Is this possible in iOS?

1 upvotes on reddit

xkcd__386 · 3 years ago

no idea, sorry

1 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 years ago

Encrypt your cloud backup, you don't want google having it too.

3 upvotes on reddit

See 7 replies

r/privacy • [2]

Summarize

Why isn't WhatsApp privacy safe?

Posted by Andureh · in r/privacy · 3 years ago

So, I've been changing my environment to a more privacy friendly one and I need to use WhatsApp because all my friends use it and my coworkers too. If WhatsApp is end to end encrypted why is it not private? Even if they store my messages they are encrypted and no one can read it rigth? What am I missing here?

19 upvotes on reddit

12 replies

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12 replies

local-privacy-guide · 3 years ago

You should be more concerned about metadata when you are using WhatsApp.

Here is an article explaining what metadata is: https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/why-metadata-matters

They know

when you write with whom
when you are online
how long/much you write with whom
your general / exact location

which can be used to see

when & where you work
when you are sick & when/where you go on vacation
with who you write a lot (partner, family member) & who not at all
when you sleep
with whom you had contact when & where….

That data can be used to create a profile of you which can be sold for advertising purposes etc.

Not to forget that your entire chat history lays unencrypted on your Google Drive / iCloud.

If you have encrypted it manually they can just get the unencrypted copy from the person you are chatting with since your entire contact list gets uploaded to their servers periodically.

19 upvotes on reddit

AvnarJakob · 3 years ago

Facebook also gets your full unencrypted Contact list from your Phone even if the persons on there arent using whatsapp. That makes it illegal for you to use whatsapp btw if you live in the EU.

4 upvotes on reddit

local-privacy-guide · 3 years ago

Same goes for other Meta/Facebook services. The Instagram app also uploads the local contact list and phone numbers to your Instagram account

3 upvotes on reddit

DotaFSS · 3 years ago

"end to end encrypted " It's not true. U can send report about messages or group. And whatsApp team will see all about reported stuff.

And WhatsApp not open source

Remember. Never trust WhatsApp

3 upvotes on reddit

UnseenGamer182 · 3 years ago

There are a lot better answers out there but here's the simplest one: Encrypted doesn't always mean safe, they also probably sell your data. Here's some of what they store (and therefore can be breached or sold): >phone number, information about your location, your user habits, and your contacts.

26 upvotes on reddit

ripsy85 · 3 years ago

Also just realised that if you check Permission Usage on Android for some reason the app is using your camera and you mic even in background and I am honestly trying to understand why

6 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 years ago

I think it is so that it can give a call immediate access to them. I could be wrong, though.

2 upvotes on reddit

Im1Random · 3 years ago

They're storing your private key too. That's the mein problem. And they could just tell the client on your phone to decrypt all your messages and send them to them. Oh and who knows if they really encrypt anything? All this E2E encryption stuff is just marketing.

On a secure messager (like Signal) at least the client that does all the encryption has to be open source, so everyone can check that they really arent doing anything shady with your messages.

11 upvotes on reddit

Andureh · OP · 3 years ago

What is my private key?

3 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 years ago

https://www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/learning/ssl/how-does-public-key-encryption-work/

8 upvotes on reddit

cueballify · 3 years ago

Because facebook owns it.

23 upvotes on reddit

RINGHAMmer · 3 years ago

Because Facebook owns it, and it’s a free service, you can be fairly certain data is at least being monetized.

Just because your message may be encrypted doesn’t mean the data associated with your messages is. For example, you allow whatsapp access to your contacts. Regardless of if you send them messages Facebook will associate those contacts with other data to create a shadow profile (if one does not already exist). You may also grant the app access to your location data. And as others have pointed out, they have access to the encryption keys. Meaning if they wanted to they could decrypt and read messages.

One could argue that WhatsApp is secure (given Facebooks reputation I would disagree) but it is difficult to argue that WhatsApp is private.

1 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/privacy • [3]

Summarize

Should I delete WhatsApp? New privacy policy

Posted by AlfromSpain · in r/privacy · 4 years ago

Hello, fellow redditors.

I deleted my Facebook account at the beginning of this year, and I don’t want to have anything to do with Facebook.

However, I’ve been using WhatsApp since it was an indie app. And now, with the new privacy policy, I don’t really know what to do, honestly.

I come here because, as a plain user, I don’t really understand what changes on the new user policy, that activate in May. And I need to make a decision: leaving WhatsApp, what everything it involves, or keeping it on my iPhone.

I live in Europe, and supposedly, Facebook wasn’t able to use WhatsApp data and cross it with Facebook data base. However, I see the same alarming messages and the same policy changes here.

So that’s my question. Should I worry about this upcoming changes, or should I ignore them and keep using WhatsApp?

Here, most people use WhatsApp massively so switching to Telegram+Signal+iMessage has its downsides, but if it’s worth it to preserve my privacy, I will delete my WhatsApp account.

Excuse me if this is the tenth post you’ve seen about this topic, I’ve searched but I haven’t found anything clear.

Thank you.

TL;DR: what are the most worrisome aspects of the new WhatsApp privacy policy?

9 upvotes on reddit

8 replies

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8 replies

phoeniks79 · 4 years ago

Doesnt moving to ios 14 negate this new WhatsApp policy update ?

1 upvotes on reddit

AlfromSpain · OP · 4 years ago

That’s an interesting question. In theory, it doesn’t apply to apps/websites from the same owner, ask to not track me applies to tracking and sharing data through other third party apps, not between the same company apps. Fortunately, I don’t have any other app from FaceBook.

Anyways, I’m required to have WhatsApp even for professionals who need to share info with you for anything. “Send me a picture of this”, “how?” “Through WhatsApp”. Everyone in my country just assumes you have a WhatsApp account.

1 upvotes on reddit

Sheezdudeln · 4 years ago

> However, I’ve been using WhatsApp since it was an indie app. And now, with the new privacy policy, I don’t really know what to do, honestly.

Whatsapp hasn't been an "indie app" since 2014, OP.

Ya shoulda deleted it at that time.

(2014 was when the Zuckerberg Empire bought Whatsapp)

9 upvotes on reddit

AlfromSpain · OP · 4 years ago

Wow, time flies. You’re right, it’s been a long time already.

But, really, what has changed on the latest privacy policy they are enforcing? Nobody is answering why is that a threat to my privacy. Are they getting my contacts? Are they targeting me from Facebook and tracking me thanks to WhatsApp? What is going to change with the new policy?

Thank you, and excuse me if I ask too much.

1 upvotes on reddit

MrsClaude · 4 years ago

It's from Facebook, you should never have used it to begin with, unless huge network effect pressure.

2 upvotes on reddit

AlfromSpain · OP · 4 years ago

Well, when I began using it, many years ago, it wasn’t from FB. And yeah, huge network pressure because, apparently, everyone uses WhatsApp.

1 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

That's up to you but I refuse to use it because of its association with Facebook. I've used silence before which isn't so bad but I'm currently using signal which seems to be the golden standard and I'm happy with it.

7 upvotes on reddit

artezmia · 4 years ago

Get out asap. Signal is the way to go

2 upvotes on reddit

See 8 replies

r/signal • [4]

Summarize

Do not get fooled. Whatsapp’s new privacy policy is still a mess

Posted by nelladot · in r/signal · 4 years ago

At the beginning of 2021, WhatsApp announced a change in its privacy policy, which was initially scheduled for February 8th. After the uproar and numerous complaints about the lack of privacy, many people switched to other applications such as Signal (here is a review https://edumontoya.medium.com/signal-review-say-goodbye-to-whatsapp-f1ab5374bbfd) or Telegram. For these reasons, Whatsapp decided to postpone the changes to May 15th. In the meantime, they spent their time explaining to their users the privacy changes, basically to have their public image polished.

But there wasn’t much to explain because this company always does the same. What to expect from a platform that has Facebook behind it? ...

Privacy issues are still as messy as always no matter how much they try to say otherwise. Also, if you don't accept the policy, using Whatsapp will become useless to you because if you already used WhatsApp before it means that you accepted their privacy policy at some point so now you will have to renew this consent to be able to use their app normally. As they have said, users who do not renew their consent will not lose their acc but they will progressively lose features, after receiving persistent reminders such as: "from this moment on, you will have limited access to WhatsApp features until you accept the updates".

I have also read that in Germany, Johannes Caspar (head of the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection) activated a three-month block at the German level for Facebook to cease collecting user data from the WhatsApp app. In the statement issued by the authorities, they express their concerns about the privacy changes given that all users have perceived such notice and must accept it whether or not they reside in European territory.

In my case, I have been aware of these issues for years and I am very careful about the platforms I use because today on the Internet it is easy to fall into these traps and companies can keep your data forever, so I switched to MailFence and abandoned Gmail, and I got Internxt Drive which is a decentralized cloud based on blockchain that encrypts your files, as an alternative to the common centralized Google platforms.

What do you think about this? Is anyone as tired of WhatsApp as I am?

180 upvotes on reddit

12 replies

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mfbaig · 4 years ago

And Whatsapp users must be reminded, the metadata collection Facebook inc do the moment you installed Whatsapp app. That's more precious near Facebook inc. For many this is enough reason for one to stop using WhatsApp.

5 upvotes on reddit

N1cl4s · 4 years ago

Can I somehow opt-out from the new WhatsApp policies, if I already opted-in?

7 upvotes on reddit

nofxy · 4 years ago

Send them a message that this is unacceptable, delete WhatsApp. Tell people you can be found via text/sms and/or email if they don't want to install Signal.

4 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

You can delete your account, and then uninstall the app. Later should you reinstall and log in, it will ask you again.

2 upvotes on reddit

nelladot · OP · 4 years ago

nothing to do if you already accepted it :/

2 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

According to ToS;DR:

5 upvotes on reddit

nofxy · 4 years ago

Quick note on the ratings, as they don't tell the whole story and it seems like Signal and Telegram are on the same level in regards to privacy:

All messages (unless you opt into the very limited Secure chats) in Telegram are accessible to Telegram admins as they are not End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE). Everything you send over the platform is stored in a way that's accessible to others, should they get bought out, sold, or forced to change their opinion on what they do with the data they are hoarding.

Signal does not have this problem as all your messages only ever get stored and are viewable on your device and the intended recipients devices. There is no way for Signal to change their mind and start mining your data or selling it off to the highest bidder. Telegram, because they don't store your messages in an encrypted manner, can some day change their mind, lets say 5 years from today, and every message you've ever sent could be available to anyone asking for it.

Telegram is a great platform for mass communication, but it is not a replacement for secure/private messaging. Think of it as Facebook 2.0 that hasn't yet turned evil (although there's no way for us to know).

6 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Please read this good article about a comparison among them in terms of security and privacy.

telegra dot ph What-are-the-features-of-a-secure-and-private-communication-service-07-10

1 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Work-related issues might keep me on WhatsApp for another week or two, but I've warned my bosses I will be deleting my account. I live in a European country where WhatsApp is basically the same as messaging, I completely understand people saying they cannot leave even if they'd like to. The network effect is strong - I myself have been peer-pressured into installing it, but have never been under any illusions about Facebook's ends. National or supranational (European, in my case) bodies should really be taking a tougher stance on this - as Apple's nutrition labels show, when given the opportunity, people do opt out of being traced everywhere.

36 upvotes on reddit

One_Charity_9184 · 4 years ago

Yes! A lack of Information and a strong network makes people want to saty in Whatsapp and Telegram too

2 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Whenever they ask me to accept their new privacy policy, I just click the X button... I'll stop using it if (or when) it stops working without accepting.

4 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Pretty much the same over here (Eastern Europe, to be more precise), too. People just assume Zuck's got all of their data anyway, and school/business WhatsApp groups went through the roof as a result of the bloody pandemic. But I still think we need an actual choice - not this "take it or leave it" nonsense - and that we should be getting it.

8 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/whatsapp • [5]

Summarize

Privacy policy

Posted by crowdsarewise · in r/whatsapp · 4 years ago

Why is there such an uproar over the recent Whatsapp privacy policy changes set to go into effect on Feb 8 2021? From what I understand nothing much has changed. They are simply reiterating what they have been able to do all along, the only change is that starting Feb 8 if you don't agree you can't use the service.

Their marquee feature remains intact since it's end to end encrypted. There's no proof it has backdoors despite the badness of Facebook. Yes, WhatsApp leaks metadata; they know all your contacts and when you're talking to them. They basically know everything (I mean the metadata) except the content itself. This is no different than your voice call metadata being available to law enforcement using a legal subpoena, standard practice for decades.

They provide encryption in transit only not at rest. So as long as you don't back it up on the cloud, no Google Drive, iCloud or any other provider, your message content is not available to any service provider.

Just using well reputed cross platform ad blockers like uBlock Origin and services like NextDNS with popular block lists like OISD that block tracking should be sufficient to protect privacy, right?

What am I missing?

16 upvotes on reddit

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11 replies

evedes814 · 4 years ago

What if you don't have a facebook account? It is not an account I use much. In fact I was getting ready to delete it. My objection is why does Facebook business community need to track my whatsapp? Why cant I opt out.

7 upvotes on reddit

crowdsarewise · OP · 4 years ago

Their stated reason is so they can "improve the service". Regardless, every business transaction is consensual. A business has the right to specify terms of service. If you, as a customer, don’t agree, don’t use the service.

But that’s not my point. I am asking something different. Why the uproar now when nothing material has changed? See the linked Wired article for context.

1 upvotes on reddit

juandhaltrich · 4 years ago

yeah, and it's killing the product. whatsapp used to be great, really the best app in anybody's phone. Now it sucks. thanks to facebook. already started using Telegram heavily and now Signal too. Actually I'm backing up every conversation from whatsapp to close that account completely. tired of facebook spookiness

8 upvotes on reddit

diamondnine · 4 years ago

Totally there should be an opt out, I don't like fb and I don't want WhatsApp data to be shared with fb, unfortunately I don't have much option as most of my family is on WhatsApp.

2 upvotes on reddit

Hibury · 4 years ago

I'm with you on this. If anything, the new TOS makes it more clear what is going on, and that transparency is good. However, I think given that not much changed in what WhatsApp is doing and sharing, the reaction has seemed overblown. It really does feel like everyone is saying they weren't aware of the terms before, or was just ignore the fact that Facebook has owned WhatsApp for years already.

I'm all for more people using the gold standard of private messaging, which is Signal, but I rarely get to message anyone there. Maybe that will change now, but I doubt it. Regardless, It seems there's a lot of hype here without much really behind it. Movements that start on false premises can still be good, but how would I get my parents to switch to signal when all of their family is on WhatsApp? It's hard.

3 upvotes on reddit

crowdsarewise · OP · 4 years ago

Well said. At the end of the day, all these companies are really vying for our attention, a coveted spot on our home screen. On mobile, the common denominator is our phone number. Due to network effects, switching our entire family and friends from one platform to another is a big barrier to entry and they know this.

This reminds me of the pre iPhone era when messaging services like AOL Instant Messenger dominated and there was this ambitious multi platform client software that could connect to multiple back end messaging services. Unfortunately given the highly competitive environment today this is unlikely to come to pass. I would love for some standardized back end messaging platform where features like e2e are guaranteed, mobile numbers and message history and your friend "graph" is portable between networks and client software competes for customers by innovating around other features. One can always dream ��

2 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Just checked the section about automatically collected information.

Sure, they’re not reading our messages, but there’s also not much meta data left they’re not collecting. My issue is that there’s no real opt-out there.

6 upvotes on reddit

BeneficialDocument63 · 4 years ago

Yeah, Ok. Bye.

5 upvotes on reddit

m4heshd · 4 years ago

!emojify

2 upvotes on reddit

EmojifierBot · 4 years ago

Yeah ��, Ok ��. Bye ��❤.

3 upvotes on reddit

flowergirl52 · 4 years ago

I've also been wondering if I'm missing something... It seems like most of the world read the find print for the first time

5 upvotes on reddit

See 11 replies

r/whatsapp • [6]

Summarize

Don't like Whats new privacy policy, go leave it 1 star on your Play Store/App Store.

Posted by CatDoingCatStuff · in r/whatsapp · 4 years ago

Since WhatsApp is turning in to sh!t, go and leave 1 star on play/app store.

At the moment of writing this its on 4.3 in Play Store. Let's drop it down as low as possible.

Edit:

Don't forget to click "Yes" on "was this review helpful" on other Privacy related reviews on Play Store, let's make these reviews stand out.

Also Thanks for my first award !!

UPDATE: on Play Store WhatsApp rating went down to 4.2 ! Keep it going ! Share this idea with others !

329 upvotes on reddit

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Pseudo_0 · 4 years ago

Done!

10 upvotes on reddit

cklvictor · 4 years ago

Done

12 upvotes on reddit

shamissabri · 4 years ago

Done

7 upvotes on reddit

AbidNafi · 4 years ago

Yeah let’s do this Reddit ��

22 upvotes on reddit

H4KERK11LER · 4 years ago

Yeah i like that lets do this in play store and appstore

8 upvotes on reddit

See 5 replies

r/Telegram • [7]

Summarize

Do not get fooled. Whatsapp’s new privacy policy is still a mess

Posted by nelladot · in r/Telegram · 4 years ago

But there wasn’t much to explain because this company always does the same. What to expect from a platform that has Facebook behind it? ...

What do you think about this? Is anyone as tired of WhatsApp as I am?

132 upvotes on reddit

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moistandwarm1 · 4 years ago

Who still used WhatsApp anyway?

4 upvotes on reddit

JesterTheZeroSet · 4 years ago

In the american continent, starting from Mexico down to Chile, it's mostly used as the primary source of communication. That and facebook messenger, sadly,

16 upvotes on reddit

Tomqzk · 4 years ago

I'm from Argentina (sorry if my english is bad). The people here also find out about the trash policies of whatsapp. Most of we are moving to telegram/signal.

10 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

I'm switching to Telegram

10 upvotes on reddit

nelladot · OP · 4 years ago

you should

1 upvotes on reddit

nelladot · OP · 4 years ago

Here in Europe everyone uses it, I guess it's because they don't know what's behind

2 upvotes on reddit

whatnoimnotyouare · 4 years ago

The biggest slap in the face here is simple - if you don't accept WhatsApp's shit new terms of use, they will turn off functions in your account. First the calls, then access to messages. So they're literally extorting you to accept their bullshit or lose all of your conversations. I suggest everybody use the chat import thing on Telegram to save their chats from WA, nobody should tolerate this garbage.

8 upvotes on reddit

nelladot · OP · 4 years ago

exactly! They don't even give options to their users and them claim on the media how they care about them, it's like accept this or leave (and I left of course)

1 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Yes, tired of WhatsApp. I just changed my WhatsApp status to "I'm on Telegram".

28 upvotes on reddit

elforce001 · 4 years ago

I'm tired of ws. Luckily, I moved my parents and sisters to telegram and we use it as our main chat. I still have ws but I don't use it. If someone wants to chat with me, I tell them to download telegram (I'm a developer so I'm always using telegram desktop). If they(ws) limit or delete my account, so be it. I already have my status to "I'm on telegram", just in case.

13 upvotes on reddit

nelladot · OP · 4 years ago

you have done well, I am trying to convince my friends and family to pass, and nothing. I also understand that here almost everyone uses it and in the end it is more 'comfortable' than inform yourself about this kind of unfair things they do.

1 upvotes on reddit

deliciouscocaine · 4 years ago

Unfortunately whatsapp is pretty popular here, still is. But in Europe we have the gdpr so I guess its somewhat different. And the people not caring about it isn't helping either.

But I removed all from Facebook and other social media, im on telegram. I am happy about it.

3 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/privacy • [8]

Summarize

I didn't accept the latest WhatsApp privacy change agreement - what now?

Posted by YoghurtSlinger · in r/privacy · 4 years ago

I haven't been hit with it since May 15th, I think it was? And my WhatsApp has been working the exact same. Could they have just enabled the changes without my consent? I am more or less ready to delete the app but I'm wondering if I can still use it in the short term to keep up with some remaining chats.

Has anyone experienced any changes - restrictions from sending or receiving messages etc? Or was that just threatening Facebook bravado? Or rumours? I would like to hear other people's experiences.

263 upvotes on reddit

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Unquesionably-Loyal · 4 years ago

I personally still use it for communicating with people who haven’t made the move, I’m not willing to fall out of contact with those people for that invasion of privacy. I’m mindful about what I write in WhatsApp and always have been since FB acquired them, assuming they can decrypt any and all comms since early days. Signal is great - just need it to become more mainstream, as “casual” users which include many of my friends and family haven’t made the switch and me being the only person who pings them via signal is gonna result in them disengaging and returning to WhatsApp.

26 upvotes on reddit

Lance-Harper · 4 years ago

They can’t decrypt your message. Or rather, they could but it’d be do costly and risky you’d have to give them a very good reason to target you specifically.

Also, it’s not about data but meta data: if you call the plastic surgery department of a hospital, don’t text for 6h: they didn’t need to read your text to know what you said. As long as they have your phone ID, access to mic, photos, location, profile picture even, new ToS... and on your friends device too, they can predict your intention for advertising purposes. Even your Sexuel orientation or vote.

No point being mindful of what you wrote. Be mindful of how, where and when. = delete Facebook

People can always text you, signal you. Anything but Facebook inc

14 upvotes on reddit

iamGobi · 4 years ago

>They can't decrypt your message

I doubt that. WhatsApp app is closed source so it's possible to send your private keys to their servers

2 upvotes on reddit

csantam01 · 4 years ago

They don't need to decrypt your message. Backups are unencrypted and when someone clicks on "report chat", which might happen as a joke by a friend, all the messages are sent to Facebook unencrypted for them to take a look on what's happening. So, yeah, they don't need to decrypt them

16 upvotes on reddit

diabloxenon · 4 years ago

Well Signal for android is so much dependent on GSF framework and unless you turn off GSF and use persistent instance of Signal in background draining your battery almost completely, true privacy cannot be obtained.

Or you use microG which requires some signature spoofing bullshit which requires root and that makes this installation painful and less secure than before.

Edit: We can only have a sense of pseudo privacy for most of the devices. Only few devices supports near true privacy, but unless you are a very specific target of someone powerful, you are 80% safe from privacy threatening elements.

5 upvotes on reddit

YoghurtSlinger · OP · 4 years ago

I have Telegram and Signal. I understand how both work. Didn't they already extend the grace period? ��

52 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

You can use viber or any other alternative

1 upvotes on reddit

DepressionIsPassion · 4 years ago

make sure you utilize secret chats if you plan on using telegram.

youtube.com/watch?v=aVwl892hqb4

6 upvotes on reddit

getwisp · 4 years ago

Classic Whatsapp move. They wait until it's no longer big news and then force it.

119 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 4 years ago

Its impossible not to use WhatsApp here in my country. Most services and costumer support etc is via WhatsApp. Even banking serviced now are operated via WhatsApp, bots and human support. Its really annoying cause you NEED this piece of s***. Most people use it too, like 99% of the population that have a smarthone lol. WhatsApp monopoly.

9 upvotes on reddit

wintermute-89 · 4 years ago

Signal has very shady background...

Any app that asks for your private information is not protecting your privacy. There is 0 reason for any chat app to ask for your phone number.

-1 upvotes on reddit

micro_haila · 4 years ago

So hypothetically, if i used WhatsApp forever without ever accepting the prompt, the new policy will never apply to me? (No intention to do that, but it sounds like an improbably easy workaround for those who want to)

1 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/whatsapp • [9]

Summarize

Is whatsapp the best for privacy?

Posted by vodkanipples · in r/whatsapp · 3 months ago

[deleted]

10 upvotes on reddit

11 replies

Helpful

Not helpful

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11 replies

geekjit · 3 months ago

Worst. Though WhatsApp claims that it offers E2EE communication, but as it's codebase is fully closed source, there is no way to validate their claim.

And another thing is that, WhatsApp collects very large amount of metadata from each conversations. So, by any means, the messenger is not meant for private communication at all.

At last, after WhatsApp introduced the AI feature, the end2end encryption is no more private. Because AI is capable of reading everything conversations.

So, if you want to go really private, then opt for Signal/SimpleX/Threema.

6 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 months ago

No. WhatsApp has been audited by precisely no one and is a closed source Meta owned entity. Do you trust Mark Zuckerberg?

10 upvotes on reddit

artlurg431 · 3 months ago

If you have all the encryption stuff turned on I would say it's pretty secure, although I've heard that telegram is more private but you might get cp sent to you in that 😭

3 upvotes on reddit

Amazing_Snoww · 3 months ago

What is cp

0 upvotes on reddit

MaRk0-AU · 3 months ago

Child P0rn

2 upvotes on reddit

MaRk0-AU · 3 months ago

End to end encryption is not on by default with telegram you have to go into secret chats to use that function.

The things that I like about WhatsApp: -E2EE Data transmission -cloud and local backup with encryption (optional) using custom password or a 64-bit password protected back up that is automatically generated upon selecting this option. -disappearing messages (optional) -hide private messages within the app with a code that only you know, only shows up when you enter the correct code. -(this recently came out in a new update) you have the option now to buckle down selected chats even more so that you/the other person can't export your chats and none of your messages can be forwarded to other people. -The app itself has a built-in biometric and password access option when opening the app.

1 upvotes on reddit

Honest_Ad1632 · 3 months ago

how to switch to signal when literally everybody is using whatsapp

2 upvotes on reddit

nessafuchs · 3 months ago

Advocate for it :) I use both in parallel and more and more people are switching over

1 upvotes on reddit

R4D000 · 3 months ago

Exactly

2 upvotes on reddit

R4D000 · 3 months ago

Exactly!

2 upvotes on reddit

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AI Answer

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how to use whatsapp privacy settings

Key Considerations for WhatsApp Privacy Settings

Profile Photo and Status:
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Choose who can see your profile photo and status updates: Everyone, My Contacts, or My Contacts Except...
Last Seen:
- In the same Privacy menu, you can control who sees your last seen timestamp. Options include Everyone, My Contacts, My Contacts Except..., or Nobody.
Read Receipts:
- You can toggle read receipts on or off. If turned off, you won’t see read receipts from others, and they won’t see yours (note: this doesn’t apply to group chats).
Blocked Contacts:
- To block someone, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked Contacts. You can add contacts here to prevent them from messaging or calling you.
Two-Step Verification:
- Enable this feature for added security. Go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification and follow the prompts to set it up.
Disappearing Messages:
- For individual chats, you can enable disappearing messages. Go to the chat, tap on the contact's name, and select Disappearing Messages to turn it on.

Recommendations:

Regularly review your privacy settings to ensure they align with your comfort level.
Consider enabling two-step verification for enhanced security, especially if you share sensitive information via WhatsApp.
Be mindful of who you add to your contacts, as your privacy settings will depend on your contacts list.

By adjusting these settings, you can better control your privacy and who can interact with you on WhatsApp.

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