WhatsApp

Facebook-owned WhatsApp caused quite the kerfuffle early in 2021 when it complained about Apple’s app store privacy labels that show all the data an app links to you. It didn’t look good for WhatsApp, especially when Apple published the same info for their iMessage app. Then WhatsApp updated their privacy policy in a way that scared the pants off people, justified or not, which caused a huge jumping ship of WhatsApp users to apps like Telegram and Signal. And then Ireland hit WhatsApp with a record $266 million fine for an alleged lack of transparency over how it shares data with Facebook. So, what’s the deal? Is WhatsApp bad for privacy? From a technical perspective, no, not really. WhatsApp uses super strong end-to-end encryption for all texts, chats, and video calls, This is great! WhatsApp can’t read your messages or see your calls. The flip side of this is Facebook--a company infamous for its vast and questionably ethical collection of so much data--owns WhatsApp. This means that lots of metadata, things like purchase history, location, device ID, and more--can be captured and shared with businesses advertising on WhatsApp. People looking for a true privacy-centered messaging app can find better options, like Signal and Threema. Messaging aside, it's worth considering WhatsApp's role in spreading misinformation. In 2020, WhatsApp became such a major source of misinformation about the coronavirus that world leaders called out the app by name. WhatsApp did take steps to try and stop the flood of misinformation when it began limiting the number of times people could pass on frequently forwarded content to five chats at once. Misinformation is a problem these days, one everyone should be aware of and do their best to not make worse.