Guest Post by Karen McInnes
What’s up with WhatsApp?
You may have noticed increased news coverage on WhatsApp, this post will break down some of the privacy concerns being discussed. This all started in 2014, when WhatsApp was bought by Facebook. Two years later, WhatsApp began sharing user data with Facebook, unless users specifically chose to opt out of data sharing. However, as of February 2021, users can’t opt out from data sharing.[1] This is an issue for those of us concerned about privacy; the new policy collects data including information about your activity, device information (like model, iOS, and browser information) as well as information provided by other app users such as your phone number or groups you are in.[2]
WhatsApp: What data is linked to you?
While WhatsApp does not share the content of your messages with Facebook, it does share significant information about you, including your phone number, name, IP address (which indicates your location), payment information and transaction history from WhatsApp purchases with its family company.[3] According to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, under the section “What You and We Share,” other information associated with your account including your profile photo, user bio may also be shared with Facebook and Third-Party Service Providers.[9]
What makes Signal different?
Signal is funded by a 501 registered non-profit in the US, rather than advertising, which means it has no motivation to collect or sell your data.[4] Like WhatsApp, Signal offers a free service for voice, video and text that offers end to end encryption (a process of encoding messages for a more secure delivery). Unlike WhatsApp, Signal’s source code has been publicly available (open source), allowing the developers to gain feedback on how to make it stronger.[5] Signal’s encryption protocol is so strong that Forbes Magazine’s cybersecurity contributor, Zak Doffman, states it is “the nearest thing we have to industry standard”[6], and has been adopted by several other messaging services, including WhatsApp.[10]
Signal: What data is linked to you?
Signal does not collect data that is linked to your identity. Signal requires a phone number and a user created PIN. Your phone number and contacts are not stored or shared on Signal.[4] The PIN is used as a way to recover your account. If you were to lose or change your device, it is not used in connection to your chat history.[7] Requiring a PIN is a way to make sure other people can’t register your phone number (a security risk known as “sim jacking”).[8] Each platform-based conversation between Signal users has a safety number that can be checked at any time which allows users to confirm encryption.[7] All Signal information is stored locally on your device. If you lose your phone or get a new one, you will have to manually transfer your messages.[8] While this may seem like an inconvenience at first, this also means that your chat history is not stored in the cloud.[6] Your chat history is stored on your device and nowhere else.
Privacy Matters
Both services offer free voice, video and text using Signal’s encryption protocol. So then, what’s the difference between them? Privacy and funding. WhatsApp collects, shares and sells user data. Signal does not. If you’re taking the extra step to use an encrypted messenger, why not use one that protects your privacy?
Questions to consider
Have you read the privacy policy (or App Store privacy label for iPhone users) for the apps on your phone?
What personal data do you expect to share by using apps?
What data are you not okay with sharing?
References
[1] Duffy, C. (2021, January 13). Why messaging app signal is surging in popularity right now. CNN. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/tech/signal-growth-whatsapp-confusion/index.html.
[2] Doffman, Z. (2021, January 6). WhatsApp beaten by Apple’s new iMessage Privacy Update. Forbes. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/01/03/whatsapp-beaten-by-apples-new-imessage-update-for-iphone-users/?sh=e89c0436234c.
[3] BBC. (2021, January 17). WhatsApp changes: Signal messaging platform restored after surge prompts outage. BBC News. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55684595.
[4] Eddy, M. (n.d.). Signal Private Messenger Review. PCMAG. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/signal-private-messager.
[5] McCall, V., & Smith, B. (2021, October 19). What is signal? how the popular encrypted messaging app keeps your texts private. Business Insider. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/signal-app
[6] Doffman, Z. (2021, January 25). WhatsApp backlash-stop using signal or telegram until you change these 4 critical settings. Forbes. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/01/23/stop-using-signal-and-telegram-until-you-change-settings-after-whatsapp-and-imessage-privacy-backlash/?sh=143329cf3040.
[7] Signal Pin – Signal Support. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007059792-Signal-PIN.
[8] Nguyen, N. (2020, June 14). Signal: The Pros and cons of a truly private chat app. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/signal-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-truly-private-chat-app-11592127002.
[9] Privacy policy. WhatsApp.com. (2021). Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/updates/privacy-policy/?lang=en.
[10] Marlinspike, M. (2016, April 5). WhatsApp’s Signal Protocol Integration is now complete. Signal Messenger. Retrieved January 7, 2022, from https://signal.org/blog/whatsapp-complete/
Written By: Karen McInnes, UBC, School of Information (Guest Contributor)
Edited By: Brittany Dzioba, Alex Kuskowski, & Eden Solarik
Featured Image: Photo by Tushar Mahajan on Unsplash
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