Whatsapp and Privacy

I’ve been using whatsapp for 2 years now and never thought a thing about it.  Recently I have been logging into Whatsapp and seeing the Facebook logo on the start screen of it on my mobile device.  Facebook bought Whatsapp in February 2014 about 6 years ago.   So I didn’t know about this until recently when they decided to update the apps on Google Play.  We all thought Whatsapp was end to end encryption.   Then I had Facebook ads start showing stuff that I didn’t even talk about or say anything on the Fb messenger.   I won’t explain what as been showing up with it because I want to keep my life private but I will say it’s a little disconcerning.   There’s even a post from another blogger named Sk babu about this such problem.  Is our encrypted message being unencrypted by Facebook and bots and people reading our messages.  

Should I stop using Whatsapp?

This has been a sour point with me and keeping my conversations with friends private.   Many bloggers around the world are suggesting we stop using Whatsapp because Facebook will sooner or later embed content moderation into our conversations.   So how are they going to do that if it is encrypted.   Simple, they have the master key to all encrypted content.   WhatsApp even said some of this in their blog posting 2016.

But by coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp. And by connecting your phone number with Facebook’s systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them.

Metrics and Phone Numbers?

What metrics is Facebook and Whatsapp tracking?  I can imagine if it’s end to end encryption that they can track much.   If this is really being tracked then how are they doing this?  Why would I want to connect my phone number to Facebook, if I wanted to be a private about this with other such applications.   It is really concerning in my mind and thus I want to move from WhatsApp to another app.

3 Apps that Might be an alternative to Whatsapp

I’ve been searching Google play and I have come up with a list of apps that look promising and these are:

• Threema —  I was drawn to this app because it has a ranged of security features such as Trusted Contacts, and Highest level of encryption.  I do see a small set back is that it cost money to buy the program.  So there is that but I like that it has a level of trust for people by verify there identity with a qr code.
• Signal Private Messaging App —  This is an open sourced and uses Open Whisper Systems.   It is also free but there isn’t much way to verify someone on Signal but it is secure and you can keep private by routing your calls through the server to avoid your ip from showing.  I’ve tried and it looks promising.
• Telegram — I’ve used telegram from gaming and other such activities and I am impressed with it but there is much to desired by it because you can’t verify anyone’s identity without your Telephone number.

These are three that I recommend and have used 2 out of the 3.  I might just buy Threema and check it out and tell you what I think.   Do you have a secure messaging app that you want to recommend.  Why not leave a comment and tell me your experiences on it!