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Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

robertheaton.com

71–80 of 159 posts

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#71
post #69
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* SMS delivery isn't guaranteed. * SMS don't have read receipt. * SMS depends on cellular connectivity. * SMS and MMS have very limited media transfer support. * SMS don't have feature similar to groups.

>* SMS don't have read receipt. I feel like this is a pro.

While I can see your point, it really depends on usage purpose and taste. For many this is the most valuable feature of the app.

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#73
post #64
post #60

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I haven't ever used WhatsApp. Is there a huge benefit to using it over SMS, or something similar?

* SMS delivery isn't guaranteed. * SMS don't have read receipt. * SMS depends on cellular connectivity. * SMS and MMS have very limited media transfer support. * SMS don't have feature similar to groups.

> * SMS don't have read receipt.

Yes, they do. iPhones don't seem to do that, but old GSM phones did it (like my first phone, Ericsson T20, which got released in 2000). Androids have read reports in the default message app, if I'm not mistaken.

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#74
post #2

I suspect a fairly small percentage of users is active enough that you get usable hourly data.

I think there's more than 1.3 billion users on WhatsApp - its massive - I am personally checking it constantly (> once an hour)

It's certainly a more popular app outside of the USA. They initially gained traction because they were willing to make apps for things other than iphones and androids - which gave them a huge following in the developing world where people may still use 10+ year old candy bars.

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#75
post #38
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, when you view her profile (as a friend), it shows who has the highest 'score' in terms of contact with her? Wow, that IS a lot of data if they break it down by contact pairs.

Yep. It was called Snapchat score or something. It had a list of top 3 people or so and how much score they had with each other. It was unreal. This was back in spring-summer 2015.

Now it shows you the live current location of all your friends, no one I know has it turned off.

Wth people?

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#76
post #34

A few weeks ago there was a similar discussion, and I commented the following: If you think there is no problem, you are wrong. The blog post does not show all the information leaks that this implies. Example: I can modify the script to monitor all the numbers I've in my phone, so that based on the online/offline status in a few weeks I can be able to guess who is having conversations together, discovering cheatings,…

This isn’t just necessarily a problem with WhatsApp. The same applies to IRC, if you set away states.

Even if you don’t set away states, one can simply monitor every channel you’re in, every message you send, and then quickly determine what timezone you’re in, when you sleep, when you’re on vacation, etc.

Here’s an example graph of a user, every dot is a message: https://i.imgur.com/DrgVvVw.png and here one from a user with more regular sleep patterns: https://i.imgur.com/a1xdSqR.png (notice the timezone transition when daylight savings time starts? And notice how the user takes about 2 weeks to adjust?)

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#77
post #73
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* SMS delivery isn't guaranteed. * SMS don't have read receipt. * SMS depends on cellular connectivity. * SMS and MMS have very limited media transfer support. * SMS don't have feature similar to groups.

> * SMS don't have read receipt. Yes, they do. iPhones don't seem to do that, but old GSM phones did it (like my first phone, Ericsson T20, which got released in 2000). Androids have read reports in the default message app, if I'm not mistaken.

No, they don't. The protocol supports delivery report only. And the meaning of that report isn't necessarily what you believe or wish it to be: ...the exact meaning of confirmations varies from reaching the network, to being queued for sending, to being sent, to receiving a confirmation of receipt from the target device...(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS)

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#78
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you, whatsapp is not like Tinder or Facebook you don't open it every 2 minutes to check if there is something new.

I live in Colombia, before then Mexico, and yes you do check on it every 2 minutes everyone does, at least in Latin America

Same in India.

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#79
post #76
post #34

A few weeks ago there was a similar discussion, and I commented the following: If you think there is no problem, you are wrong. The blog post does not show all the information leaks that this implies. Example: I can modify the script to monitor all the numbers I've in my phone, so that based on the online/offline status in a few weeks I can be able to guess who is having conversations together, discovering cheatings,…

This isn’t just necessarily a problem with WhatsApp. The same applies to IRC, if you set away states. Even if you don’t set away states, one can simply monitor every channel you’re in, every message you send, and then quickly determine what timezone you’re in, when you sleep, when you’re on vacation, etc. Here’s an example graph of a user, every dot is a message: https://i.imgur.com/DrgVvVw.png and here one from a us…

In chat applications, those features were the first to get disabled. As I recall, one of the MSN Messenger features required you to sign in before you disabled it.

Anyhow, I'd disable showing online status, typing status, or automatically changing status based on activity.

This was a decade and a half ago, probably longer. The principle remains the same. No, no I don't want you to know when I'm in front of my computer, typing, or otherwise. If I want to appear online, I'll manually do so.

Re: Tracking friends and strangers using WhatsApp

#80
post #70
post #34

A few weeks ago there was a similar discussion, and I commented the following: If you think there is no problem, you are wrong. The blog post does not show all the information leaks that this implies. Example: I can modify the script to monitor all the numbers I've in my phone, so that based on the online/offline status in a few weeks I can be able to guess who is having conversations together, discovering cheatings,…

Most Tor busts follow a similar pattern, watching both ends of the connection. There is a real need for a "tor delay" metadata-disruption-as-a-service, where random strangers invoke one another's web callbacks and report back the result in exchange for Bitcoin (Strangers on a Train -style). Someone put it on the block chain and start an ICO!

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