A cybersecurity expert said people should avoid sending sensitive or important personal data via WhatsApp, and suggested using more than one messaging app instead of sticking to just one.
According to The Standard, Anthony Lau Cheuk-tung, a computer security researcher, made the comments after WhatsApp recently revised its privacy policy informing that it will now share user information with its parent company, Facebook.
WhatsApp in a message on its application has notified that from February 8th, people who do not agree to its new privacy policy will not be able to use the application. Lai said WhatsApp can now share user status, smartphone details, internet and phone numbers and IP addresses used by an account.
“Any company that gets our data, they use it for themselves as best they can, they sell it or use this information to target you through all kinds of tailor-made ads. However, there are other ways that Facebook can use our data,” Lai explained.
Amid strong protests from users around the world, WhatsApp has issued a clarification ensuring that user data is safe.
“I want to share how committed everyone @WhatsApp is to providing private communication to two billion people around the world. At our core, that’s the ability to message or call loved ones freely, but it’s also protected by end-to-end encryption and that doesn’t change,” said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp at Facebook.
Meanwhile, since the update, many WhatsApp users have persuaded each other to leave the platform and switch to other encrypted messengers such as Signal and Telegram.
Tesla, SpaceX and Boring Company CEO Elon Musk also joined the conversation, asking people to leave WhatsApp with a post on his Twitter, “Use Signal”.
