WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion active users worldwide. With its end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp promises users that their chats, calls, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, and shared location data are kept private.
But is your WhatsApp account really as private and secure as the company claims? Let’s take a closer look at how WhatsApp handles your data and privacy.
What data does WhatsApp collect?
When you first sign up for WhatsApp, you provide your phone number and device information. WhatsApp ties your account to your phone number and generates keys on your device to encrypt your messages.
Once you start using the app, WhatsApp collects metadata about your usage including your battery level, signal strength, app version, device model, device OS, last time the app was used, mobile network, and more. They claim not to store messages on their servers.
Does WhatsApp share your data?
WhatsApp’s privacy policy states that they may share your data with third-party partners and Facebook companies to provide their services and improve their products. Here’s some of the key ways WhatsApp shares your data:
- With third-party vendors for business purposes like infrastructure, services, and customer support.
- With law enforcement if legally required to do so.
- With Facebook companies to provide joint services like infrastructure and security, combat abuse, research, etc.
While WhatsApp states that you have control over who can see your messages, their broader data sharing practices have raised privacy concerns.
Can others see your online status?
By default, your contacts on WhatsApp can see when you were last online and when you are currently online. You can disable this feature by going into WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen. However, disabling last seen means you won’t be able to see other people’s last seen either.
Are your WhatsApp backups encrypted?
WhatsApp gives you the option to create encrypted local backups or unencrypted cloud backups on services like iCloud and Google Drive. While local backups are encrypted, cloud backups are not protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.
This means third-parties like Apple, Google, or hackers could potentially access your unencrypted chat history, photos, and more in cloud backups. For maximum security, experts recommend using local encrypted backups only.
Can WhatsApp messages be hacked?
While WhatsApp employs end-to-end encryption for messages, there have been vulnerabilities reported over the years that leave some aspects of the app open to hacking:
- In 2017, hackers could insert malicious code into WhatsApp images and videos to access files, messages, microphone and camera.
- In 2019, hackers could install spyware on phones just by calling targets through WhatsApp, even if they didn’t answer.
- In 2020, eavesdropping was possible due to a flaw in the way WhatsApp handled encryption keys.
WhatsApp typically issues quick fixes for reported vulnerabilities. But it’s possible for sophisticated hackers to exploit flaws before they are patched.
Can WhatsApp comply with government data requests?
Since WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, they state that cannot see users’ private conversations. However, WhatsApp can and does provide authorities with non-content information like user registration details, profile data, service usage information and more when legal processes demand it.
While WhatsApp is designed not to share message content, government agencies have found ways to collect messages, for example by:
- Requesting users to take screenshots of messages.
- Using hacking tools to access phones and collect data.
- Compelling companies like Apple and Google to turn over cloud backups.
Can you trust WhatsApp’s encryption?
WhatsApp provides robust end-to-end encryption powered by the respected Signal protocol. Experts agree WhatsApp’s encryption methodology is sound and messages truly are private in transit and on the app’s servers.
However, encryption only protects message content, not the metadata that WhatsApp collects or backups stored externally. There are also potential loopholes where messages could be exposed in transit before encryption is applied or after decryption.
Conclusion
WhatsApp takes significant steps to encrypt messages and secure communications in transit between senders and recipients. However, the app does collect user data for business purposes and shares data with parent company Facebook.
For maximum privacy, users should be cautious with online status visibility, cloud backups, and other potential exposure points outside the core encryption. While WhatsApp promises privacy, users should be aware it is not fully bulletproof against sophisticated hackers or government data requests if needed.