WhatsApp: Difference between revisions
-infobox |
→Incidents: Ownership violations - WhatsApp is full of them. Disguised ramsomware and moral arbitration included. |
||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]]. | This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]]. | ||
=== | ===Message remote deletion and falsification (2017 and later)=== | ||
Since late 2017, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely delete messages for a limited duration after sending.<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_gets_ability_to_delete_messages-news-27955.php WhatsApp gets ability to delete messages - GSMArena.com news]</ref> This time limit was extended repeatedly, to slightly over an hour in 2018<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_time_limit_for_deleting_messages_increases_to_over_an_hour-news-30053.php WhatsApp time limit for deleting messages increases to over an hour - GSMArena.com news] (The exact time limit was 4096 seconds, which is 2<sup>12</sup>.)</ref> and two and a half days in 2022.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-extends-time-limit-to-delete-a-message-to-60-hours/ WhatsApp extends time limit to delete a message to 60 hours – TechCrunch]</ref> | |||
Additionally, since 2023, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely falsify messages for up to a quarter hour after sending. When a message is falsified by the sender, the recipient can no longer see the untampered message.<ref>[https://mashable.com/article/whatsapp-edit-messages-feature WhatsApp finally lets you edit messages, but you have to be fast - Mashable]</ref> | |||
The WhatsApp software acts against the will of the device owner by letting someone else remotely delete or falsify existing information on their device retroactively. Many people are forced to accept this infringement of their ownership as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect network effect], the high number of existing WhatsApp users. | |||
===Data lock-in=== | |||
[[File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png|thumb|upright|WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen]] | |||
There are several instances of [[data lock-in]] in WhatsApp. For example, if WhatsApp staff suspends an account, WhatsApp holds the message history hostage. The user is unable to access any messages stored on their device, unless they successfully appeal their suspension. This means WhatsApp staff has more control over some data stored on devices of WhatsApp users than the device owners themselves. This is a lighter form of ramsomware.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.02.11-152443/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-this-account-is-not-allowed-to-use-whatsapp-error-fix/ How to fix the WhatsApp 'This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp' error]</ref><ref>[https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ How to Unban From WhatsApp Quickly and Regain Access (2024)]</ref> | |||
Users also lose access to their messaging history unless they run a recent version. The developers behind WhatsApp could have provided users read-only access, meaning letting users read existing messages but not send new messages unless they update, but they chose to completely disable access to the messages until an update is completed. | |||
There are situations where users are not able to update. These include being at a remote location with limited Internet access, exhaustion of ones mobile data plan, and having an older device where updating is not possible anymore because its operating system is no longer supported by a recent version of WhatsApp. | |||
If a WhatsApp user has not used the service for four months, they are required to repeat the registration process before being able to access to their message history.<ref>[https://faq.whatsapp.com/120604060995491 Seeing “You have been logged out” | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> In addition, changing ones' phone number means losing access to all existing messages that were not backed up in advance. | |||
WhatsApp also lets the user back up their messages to their Google account, but they are stored in a way they can only be accessed from WhatsApp, not externally. | |||
WhatsApp provides a chat exporting feature which allows to export the entire chat history as a text file, optionally including media attachments, into a ZIP file. However, there is no way to export all messages at once. It has to be done for every contact and every group individually. Additionally, starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant through the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature., meaning the user is at the mercy of the other participant to allow exporting. | |||
There are legitimate reasons for exporting chats, such as creating backups in a human-readable and non-proprietary format, preempting erroneous account terminations ([https://karl-voit.at/cloud examples]), searching using external tools, and preserving good memories with people, including those of deceased individuals (as shown in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5dxoMY-dE Ed Sheeran - Old Phone]''). | |||
If one doesn't trust someone to keep something secret, one should not send it in the first place, like one not tell them in real life. | |||
The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref> | The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref> | ||
| Line 39: | Line 52: | ||
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots. | The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots. | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
===Moral arbitration=== | |||
WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a moral arbiter. | |||
In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> | |||
Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.). | |||
===Introduction of advertising (2025)=== | |||
In June 2025, Meta announced that personalized ads would be introduced globally on WhatsApp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scharon |first=Harding |date=2025-06-16 |title=Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616190958/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-date=16 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Previously, Meta (then known as Facebook) stated in 2014, after it acquired the application: <blockquote>''("[…] And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.")''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806121407/https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-date=6 Aug 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=WhatsApp Blog}}</ref> </blockquote>The personalized ads also utilize data from linked accounts on other Meta platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-16 |title=Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/helping-you-find-more-channels-businesses-on-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vErdo |archive-date=19 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Meta Newsroom}}</ref> | |||
===Privacy policy update (2021)=== | |||
{{Main|WhatsApp updates privacy policy and millions of users flee the platform}} | |||
There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=12 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=24 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> | |||
==Mandatory updates== | ==Mandatory updates== | ||
WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> <!-- In my experience, WhatsApp is one of the few apps to function near-perfectly on 3G, even rural areas. Updates however are usually 60+ MB, very chungus in comparison. I'm not sure how to incorporate this point though. -Raster --> | WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> <!-- In my experience, WhatsApp is one of the few apps to function near-perfectly on 3G, even rural areas. Updates however are usually 60+ MB, very chungus in comparison. I'm not sure how to incorporate this point though. -Raster --> | ||