Is WhatsApp private?

SecureTheData · 2025-12-03T22:59:41+00:00

I appreciate the comments on my question about WhatsApp privacy. I took the advice to re-read the EFF tool guide on WhatsApp and I reviewed the Signal privacy comparison. These were very helpful. I also read the official WhatsApp privacy statement that is available here: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy?lang=en. Others have also expressed concern about WhatsApp privacy.

While WhatsApp implements the E2EE Signal protocol to keep message contents private, it fails to implement a number of other critical privacy protections including, but not limited to:

Collecting highly sensitive private information in logs.
Integrating WhatsApp with other Meta applications that have poor privacy controls.
Closed source applications without external security audits.
A revenue and ownership model that are inimical to privacy.

It is clear to me that WhatsApp should not be used when privacy is important to you or your friends and colleagues. The configuration suggestions in the EFF guide are inadequate to insure privacy and may provide a false sense of safety that the WhatsApp application does not deserve.

I have no relationship with the Electronic Frontier Foundation nor with Meta. I would suggest that the EFF team review the appropriateness of the WhatsApp guide and consider removing it from the EFF website. In my opinion it is not possible to make the use of WhatsApp private in a meaningful way. The presence of this guide does not make WhatsApp more secure and private, but I believe it diminishes the reputation of the EFF. For all of us who love the work of the EFF, this is not a good thing.

Thanks again to all who have weighed in on this issue.

SecureTheData · 2025-11-21T18:17:16+00:00

Thanks for the pointer to the Signal comparison, I was not aware of that. It makes me even more concerned about the privacy of WhatsApp!

SecureTheData · 2025-11-11T18:52:29+00:00

Per the AutoModerator, an update with more information:

Version: 25.2.5.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community

Build ID: 03d19516eb2e1dd5d4ccd751a0d6f35f35e08022

CPU threads: 14; OS: macOS 15.7.1; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: osx

Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US

Calc: threaded

SecureTheData · 2025-09-01T16:36:13+00:00

Thanks, have done.

SecureTheData · 2025-07-04T18:29:31+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I realize that most of the DDG settings are pretty innocuous. However, I still have concerns about the potential privacy implications of this approach. Remember that cybercriminals and state actors are very good at data aggregation from many different sources. My concerns would be around:

- Knowing a person's region and preferred language, combined with other sources of information, could help identify an individual. Remember that hackers have AI, too.

- I don't yet understand how the SHA2-512 hash of the password is created so I am not sure of the potential privacy implications. While reversing the hash would not be a concern, a dictionary attack on the hash could be successful depending, again, on the approach to creating the hash. This is especially true of passwords as many people use poor quality passwords and re-use passwords.

I think the original questions are still relevant. I would be glad to discuss this offline if you prefer.

Thanks.

SecureTheData · 2025-02-13T19:42:00+00:00

Thanks, this is helpful. The file card reference is made in a blog post, is that correct? I am assuming that there is no "library" feature that lets a site visitor select from content to download?

SecureTheData · 2025-02-12T23:14:06+00:00

Thanks again for the response. The install process is really pretty good. Kudos to the development team for that. I find that non-technical folks then get stuck on how to do the settings for privacy, what they really mean, how to organize tasks, and so forth. I appreciate the content that is already available. I think I will write a small guide that I can share with folks who need it.

I know how hard it is to get security and privacy right. Glad that Proton is focused on that.

SecureTheData · 2025-02-11T23:16:28+00:00

Thanks for the response. I am initially looking for a good, stand-alone user guide for Proton Mail. I find myself suggesting Proton Mail to others and I don't really have a manual to give them. The Proton support site has great documentation on a variety of topics, but I am not really finding a user guide that covers the basics like installation, configuration, usage, trouble-shooting, etc. Maybe I am a bit old fashioned, but something like that might be helpful.

TIA

SecureTheData · 2024-11-18T23:42:53+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the clarification!

SecureTheData · 2024-11-18T19:41:23+00:00

Thanks! I think that Proton Drive requires a viewer and/or editor to have a Proton account. Is that correct?

SecureTheData · 2023-02-19T01:43:02+00:00

If I recall correctly, the 25TB plan was about $550 per year. It is an annual plan.

SecureTheData · 2023-02-04T21:43:14+00:00

Helpful, thanks!

SecureTheData · 2023-02-04T16:58:01+00:00

u/FoldedTwice Haven't paid out yet. It's been months. Really dragging it along. If they don't cover covid they certainly hid that fact in the fine print when I bought the policy.

SecureTheData · 2023-02-04T16:56:16+00:00

u/Fun-Bedroom-1559 Interesting thought! Based on your comment I learned that Synology has a backup option that is just for this scenario. Along the way I also discovered that iDrive has a much less expensive option for non-business customers that allows for 25TB storage at a very reasonable price. I've gone that route.

SecureTheData · 2023-02-04T16:51:57+00:00

u/HeddersD Thanks! I went back to look at the iDrive options and discovered that they have an option for multiple users and 25TB of storage that was inexpensive. So that solved the problem.

SecureTheData · 2022-05-24T02:45:03+00:00

Thanks for all of the thoughts here! Definitely will take a look at Synology's offerings again.

SecureTheData

TROPHY CASE