WhatsApp Explained: Is Your Private Data Safe?

The Facebook-owned messaging service, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world. According to Statista, as of July 2019, 1.6 billion people were using the messaging platform every month. WhatsApp now is giving its 2 billion users an ultimatum that is to agree to share their personal data with the social network or have their accounts deleted. The requirement is sent to users through an in-app alert directing users to agree to changes in the WhatsApp terms of service. Those who do not accept the privacy policy by February 8th, 2021 will no longer be able to utilize the app. Overall, these changes would also allow Facebook to use your data on how you interact with WhatsApp Business accounts and suggest a variety of other relevant businesses on other Facebook-owned platforms such as the Facebook app, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. It should also allow you to interlink different Facebook services across different applications. The information WhatsApp automatically collects from you includes your mobile phone number and basic information you give when you create a WhatsApp account. 

It also collects and shares user activity, how often you use WhatsApp, features you use, your profile photo, your status and ‘about’ information. It also collects device-level information including location data, IP addresses, phone model, OS, battery level, signal strength, browser, mobile network, ISP, language, time zone, and even IMEI, but with your permission. WhatsApp says, “We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings, including the Facebook Company Products”. There is also the information about how you are messaging, calling, what groups you are attending, the Status, the profile photo, last time the you were online, etc.

Growth of WhatsApp

Founded in 2009 by ex-Yahoo employees, Brian Acton and Jan Koum that started as a small start-up and expanded to 250,000 users in just a few months, growing so fast that they had to add a charge for using the service per year to slow the subscription rate down. In 2014, WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook and has seen continued growth, reaching the 1 billion mark in July 2017. With every message and call end-to-end encrypted by default. This level of encryption means that not even WhatsApp or its parent company Facebook can see the content of your messages. The term End-To-End Encryption or (E2EE) is the most secure way to communicate privately and securely online. By encrypting messages at both ends of a conversation, end-to-end encryption prevents anyone in the middle from reading private communications.

What about your messages are conversations private?

WhatsApp has reiterated that all messages are end-to-end encrypted. This means that neither WhatsApp, not third parties will access or read your messages. WhatsApp offers greater privacy thanks to end-to-end encryption that scrambles messages to ensure only you and the person you are communicating with can read your messages or listen to your calls. WhatsApp messages (which include videos and photos) are vulnerable before they are encrypted and after they are decrypted if a hacker has managed to install spyware on the phone. Spyware attacks on WhatsApp have already occurred. No conversation shared between devices is ever 100% private. To increase your WhatsApp security, keep sensitive conversations and content offline, and keep your app updated. WhatsApp does not store your messages once delivered. Messages are stored on the user’s device and not on WhatsApp’s servers. Once messages are delivered, they are deleted from its servers. While delivering a message, WhatsApp’s servers store undelivered messages in encrypted form for up to 30 days and if a message is still undelivered after 30 days, WhatsApp claims to delete it. WhatsApp says “When a user forwards media within a message, we store that media temporarily in encrypted form on our servers to aid in more efficient delivery of additional forwards.” 

WhatsApp How can I secure my WhatsApp?

It is crucial when using WhatsApp (or any other app) to be aware of common scams, including malware and spyware. To amplify security, turn on Security Notifications in Settings, which will send an alert if, for some reason, your security code changes. Other ways to boost security: Use two-step verification, never share your 6-digit SMS verification code, disable cloud back up, and set your profile to private. Install comprehensive security software and secure physical access to your phone or laptop with a facial, fingerprint, or a passcode ID. Do not open (block, report) messages from spammers. Never share personal information with people you do not know.

Can Anyone Read My Deleted WhatsApp Messages?

WhatsApp user can access his or her own deleted messages via the chat backup function that automatically backs up all of your messages at 2 a.m. every day. WhatsApp users can delete a message by using the Delete from everyone button within an hour after sending. Anyone who receives the message before its deleted can take a screenshot of it. There is no way to ensure regrettable content is not captured, archived, or shared. There are also third-party apps that will recall deleted messages shared by others. Another possibility is that a hacker can access old chats stored in an app user’s cloud.

What about ads?

WhatsApp does not allow third-party ads on its services. “We have no intention to introduce them, but if we ever do, we will update this Privacy Policy,” it says. However, WhatsApp can use information it has about you to communicate to you about its services and market its services and those of other Facebook companies. 

How long are WhatsApp messages stored?

According to WhatsApp, once a user’s messages are delivered, they are deleted from WhatsApp servers. This includes chats, photos, videos, voice messages, and files. Messages can still be stored on each individual’s device. The instant you send any content online, it is out of your control. The person or group on the receiving end can still store it on their device or to their cloud service. Never send risky content.

 What about businesses and third-party services?

WhatsApp recently launched WhatsApp Business, which allows businesses to contact and communicate with customers through its app. This could include making purchases through the app, or businesses contacting you, sending you order confirmations, flight tickets, tickets to other events, etc. While chats between you and a Business are end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp says that once the message is received, it will be subject to the business’s own privacy practices. WhatsApp says, “Some businesses will be able to choose WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, to securely store messages and respond to customers. While Facebook will not automatically use your messages to inform the ads that you see, businesses will be able to use chats they receive for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook. You can always contact that business to learn more about its privacy practices”.

Can WhatsApp Messages Be Deleted Permanently?

Even if a WhatsApp user decides to delete a message, it is no assurance of privacy since conversations are two-way, and the person on the receiving end may screenshot or save a copy of a chat, video, or photo. On the security side, you may delete a message and see it disappear, but WhatsApp still retains a “forensic trace of the chat” that can be used by hackers for mining data, according to reports. For extra security, turn off backups in WhatsApp’s Settings. On an iPhone, go to Chats>Chat Backup>Auto Backup and set this option to Off. On an Android phone, go to Chats>Chat Backup and make sure “Back up to Google Drive” is set to “Never.”

What choice do you have?

To continue using WhatsApp, you need to accept the new terms and conditions. If you do not wish to, WhatsApp suggests deleting your account. For users who have already accepted the new terms and conditions, but do not want WhatsApp to share data with Facebook, or other businesses, they will have an additional 30 days to opt out and delete their account.

What happens if you delete your account?

WhatsApp says that when you delete your WhatsApp account, your undelivered messages are deleted from its servers along with any of your other information it no longer needs to operate and provide its services. However, users must ensure they not only uninstall WhatsApp, but must delete their account from WhatsApp. This can be done by going to settings > Account and selecting ‘Delete my account’. “Please remember that when you delete your account, it does not affect the information other users have relating to you, such as their copy of the messages you sent them,” WhatsApp’s privacy policy adds.

How Do I Delete My WhatsApp Account From Another Phone?

To delete a WhatsApp account go to > Settings > Account > Delete My Account. Deleting your account erases message history, removes you from groups, and deletes your backup data. According to WhatsApp, for users moving from one type of phone to another, such as from an iPhone to an Android, and keeping the same phone number, your account information stays intact, but you will not be able to migrate messages across platforms. If you are not keeping your number, you should delete WhatsApp from your old phone, download WhatsApp to your new phone, and verify your new phone number. Upgrading the same phone type will likely include options to migrate messages.

How Do You Know Your WhatsApp is Scanned?

WhatsApp users can easily synchronize devices by downloading the WhatsApp web app and activating it (Settings > WhatsApp Web/Desktop). Devices sync by scanning a QR code that appears on your laptop screen. You know your device is scanned when you see the green chat screen appear on your desktop. It is possible for a person with physical access to your desktop to scan your QR code and to gain account access. If you think, someone has access to your account log out of all your active web sessions in WhatsApp on your mobile phone.

 Is It True That WhatsApp Has Been Hacked?

Yes. Several times and in various ways. No app, service, or network has proven to be un-hackable. Assume that any digital platform is vulnerable. Maximize privacy settings, NEVER SHARE risky content, financial information, or personal data.

Is WhatsApp Safe To Send Pictures?

Encryption ensures that a transmission is secure, but that does not mean WhatsApp content is safe or that human behaviour is predictable. People (even trusted friends) can share private content. People can also illegally attempt to gain access to any content you have shared. This makes WhatsApp (along with other digital sharing channels) unsafe for exchanging sensitive information or photos. Nothing on the internet is private. Never send or receive pictures that may jeopardize your privacy, reputation, or digital footprint.

WhatsApp has additionally beforehand protested in opposition to consumer data transparency, denouncing Apples requirement that builders submit details about consumer data in privateness labels on the App Store, arguing it may give the app a aggressive drawback. The Privacy Policy is rolling out globally, however, users located in the European Union received only one bullet point in their notification. Thanks to tighter privacy legislation better known as GDPR, the WhatsApp users in 27 European countries will not have their data shared with third parties.