WhatsApp is the worst messaging app when it comes to privacy
That privacy and security are not the strong points of the application WhatsApp is something that should not catch users of this messaging tool completely off guard. Despite having left behind the serious problems involving the theft of messages or possible espionage , and even with things like being able to block the profile photo for strangers, it's still very poor when it comes to safeguard usersThis has been confirmed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization in charge of defending the right to freedom of expressionin the digital age, plus other civil rights from its US headquarters.
Thus, the EFF has shown its annual report about of the security and protection of privacy before governments that different companies and Internet services make of their own users, leaving in a a very bad place for the WhatsApp application And it is that he labels it as worst messaging application in terms of privacy when placing thethird starting from the tail An issue that, given its advanced and widespread use, continues to make many users gnash their teeth. But not only that, apparently the EFF already offered a year margin to WhatsApp to apply different policies to raise their rating to obtain a better result in this year's study.Something to which WhatsApp seems to have turned a deaf ear.
WhatsApp has earned only one star (out of five) in this report, something the EFF appreciates thanks to the measures that, together with Facebook, they have taken to protect their users. However, there is a lot of room for maneuver to improve And it's not just asking for barriers for enforcement, but processes that ensure company transparency, tougher policies to prevent government espionageand other questions like the following:
Best business practices. WhatsApp does not require a court order before delivering the conversation of one of its users to the policeNor does it publishlicalicain any kind of transparency report or law enforcement guidance.
Inform users about government requests. WhatsApp does not undertake to notify users of data requests from governments.
Disclose data retention policies. The company does not inform about its policies at the time of collecting data as well as IP address of users or about the deletion of content.
Apart from these issues, both WhatsApp and Facebook assure not have introduced back doors or voluntary vulnerabilities for government espionage that could be used by hackers or cybercriminals In addition, WhatsApp claims not to save conversations or user content, although it could have some data on their connections and practices, although without knowing how long do they keep such data and what is it
Issues that should not entail an immediate and high risk for the day-to-day life of the user, but that the EFF considers necessary for this application. Given this, it is clear that WhatsApp continues to be the main option for its number of users, but not for its virtues in terms of security and privacy. In the meantime, we'll have to make sure not to share too important issues in their chats, although it seems to keep governments in line. Not so much the police, who do not need a court order to access data and conversations of their users.
