WhatsApp prides itself on end-to-end encryption and maintains the privacy of the messages we send with our contacts. What hasn’t been talked about much is accessible metadata.: This “Information About Your Data” reveals useful information for Facebook, which is now in an open war with Apple.
The Cupertino Company began rolling out privacy labels on the App Store and were shown and “Cheats” with information collected by the application.In the case of WhatsApp, it is clear how this tool collects mobile contacts, commercial information when we use Facebook or IP services that can be used to determine our geolocation with precision.
Our messages are encrypted. But otherwise not.
On WhatsApp, they appear to be clear: “The security and privacy of our users are part of our DNA,” they say when it comes to end-to-end encryption. The content of our message certainly appears to be safe from curiosity. But that problem goes beyond that content.
As Ian Thornton-Trump, cybersecurity firm Cyjax, explains in Forbes, “Metadata – information about your data – is almost as effective. Is the body of the message “.
Those metadata revealed Who do you know when and how often to text?… or those who know your contacts and who send them messages, it is these metadats that feed Facebook’s data digger and things will get worse if we consider that Facebook has started connecting WhatsApp with Instagram and with the social network. To create a rather juicy profile of each user Tap those services.
Those moves consisted of Apple’s attitude, which took a number of moves to protect that privacy. The last one is to use ‘Privacy label’ allowed Inform users of the information they collect. When we install and use applications through the App Store
According to the App Store privacy label, this is (meta) data collected by messaging apps such as Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.
With these tags, any user installed WhatsApp will see information that collects “User” claims at Apple.Learn about some of the types of information that applications can collect.And if that information is linked or can be used to verify ”
Facebook has already opposed the measure by publishing Full page ads in some popular newspapers From USA
If you walk through the App Store and search for WhatsApp Messenger, you’ll see that in the new section. “App privacy” A large amount of information gathered appeared.Of course, there are some revealing that aside from the content, there is some relevant information that Facebook can leverage on its advertising business.
WhatsApp released a statement about Apple’s new measures and in a message explaining how the service collects the information. “To perform reliable global service”, even if they collect information such as the contacts we message. “We do not share the contact list with anyone, even with Facebook.“.
Apple’s offering appears to be a good way for users to get more information on what’s going on behind the scenes when they use apps like these. But on Facebook and WhatsApp, this is a more direct attack. With certain services that need to collect that information in order to generate income from user activity. As people have said “If you don’t pay for the product, then you are the product”?
