WhatsApp issued an ultimatum!
When Facebook bought WhatsApp they made some promises about privacy and tracking. Yes, companies change. It doesn’t mean those changes have to be accepted though. There are alternatives. And “yes”, it means leaving the thing we know behind. “Yes”, the new thing can be uncomfortable and different.
What’s the problem?
Many shrug it off with, “What can we do?“. “They are the biggest”. “That’s where my friends are”. etc. Very true.
I was asked “so what if they are stealing my data? What’s the harm?“. Truth be told, I didn’t have a good answer.
I’m not a security or privacy expert. All I know is that the experts are overwhelmingly telling us that’s bad.
If that doesn’t sound strong to you, think about this. We rely on climate change experts to convey how important it is for us to change our behaviour. Medical experts come to a consensus advise the general population.
If I try to explain here what the privacy (and possibly security) implications are, I’ll likely get it wrong. You’re welcome to dive into that rabbit hole on your own. See below for links.
What can you do?
When something becomes an issue, you take steps to fix it. In this case the steps are simple. Download an app like Signal (recommended) and / or Telegram. The more people do that the less power is given to large corporations like Facebook.
No need to delete WhatsApp (yet)
It took years for WhatsApp to get this big. There is no need to try and get rid of it overnight. Keep it for now if you have to. You might have relatives who only know how to use that. It’s hard for them to make that switch.
That’s fine. For now it’s enough to start using a more privacy focussed tool.
Sources
1
WhatsApp users must share their data with Facebook or stop using the app