WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash • Hacker News Board

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#51

Post by PragmaticPulp » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:32 PM UTC

I use Signal and I’ve encouraged my friends and family to switch as well.

But let’s be honest: WhatsApp is moving forward because they aren’t threatened by this concern or losing some users to Signal. The average user doesn’t care about anything other than easily communicating with other people at this point, and news articles like this are part of the problem.

Frankly, the sky-is-falling uproar about any and every privacy policy change from free services had burned people out and made them jaded. Tech media likes to portray every change as an egregious violation of personal privacy, yet most of this stuff is just mundane as targeting where the data never leaves the company.

The media has become the boy who cried wolf with their attempts to present every type of data collection as bad. This article doesn’t even attempt to explain what the privacy policy changes are or what it might mean. It just implies that the reader should be angry.

In 2021, everyone has heard the “if you’re not paying for it, you’re the product” line so many times that they’ve just accepted it and moved on with their lives. The media’s false equivalencies are simply accelerating it.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#52

Post by CubsFan1060 » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

yalogin wrote: post #32

Reality is no one cares about privacy, there isn’t a dollar amount attached to it like with security. So yes people will be outraged when they are told data is collected about them but then they will see the service offered and accept the collection. The only thing this achieved is made a lot of people realize and vocalize to themselves that they don’t care about privacy. I could t even convince my own family to ditc…

People care, but they are also unwilling to make any sacrifice. They would like more privacy, but would also like to continue using the services that steal their privacy. And they would also like to continue to use the for free.

When faced with "continue using the thing I like and lose privacy" vs "Pay for a similar solution", they almost always choose the first.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#53

Post by PragmaticPulp » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:41 PM UTC

polote wrote: post #48

egwor wrote: post #14

I'm so disappointed in this. Whatsapp is a functional tool. It was successful since it worked. Facebook has entirely failed to utilise it - to allow external systems to connect in so that businesses can do business on there. The voice calls are also a disaster. They've now come along to start messing with the privacy to start selling ads. It is insane that they're able to make such a mess of this. Is there a word for…

The ARPU that Facebook can make is higher than the average price people are willing to pay to get access to whatsapp. That's all, dont look further

People aren’t going to pay for simple services like WhatsApp in 2021. It’s as simple as that.

Tech people with a high degree of suspicion and high disposable income are the exception. Even within that group, most people won’t put their money where their mouth is when given the option.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#54

Post by gilrain » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:41 PM UTC

uniqueid wrote: post #26

throwaway556179 wrote: post #16

Sometimes, I wish someone would hack into the FB C-Levels homes and live-stream their lives to the world - like everything they say and do, just to make the world a bit more open, connected and transparent.

A photographer claims he was accused of breaching privacy by Facebook after taking photos of Mark Zuckerberg cleaning up his dog’s poo. https://metro.co.uk/2018/04/03/pictures-mark-zuckerberg-didn...

They should have promoted the photos instead; that's the most humanizing photo of Zuck I've ever seen. He's upgraded from "I hate everything about him" to "I hate everything about him except that he cleans up after his dog responsibly."

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#55

Post by lokischild » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:43 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #51

I use Signal and I’ve encouraged my friends and family to switch as well. But let’s be honest: WhatsApp is moving forward because they aren’t threatened by this concern or losing some users to Signal. The average user doesn’t care about anything other than easily communicating with other people at this point, and news articles like this are part of the problem. Frankly, the sky-is-falling uproar about any and every p…

You seem to make many assumptions that are, AFAIK, false. The data is there and gets stored indefinitely. It is not only monetized for ADs, but for surveillance as well. Companies and state contact the company and buy that data about you.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#56

Post by Symbiote » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:45 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #53

polote wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ARPU that Facebook can make is higher than the average price people are willing to pay to get access to whatsapp. That's all, dont look further

People aren’t going to pay for simple services like WhatsApp in 2021. It’s as simple as that. Tech people with a high degree of suspicion and high disposable income are the exception. Even within that group, most people won’t put their money where their mouth is when given the option.

How much money is it?

I remember WhatsApp being £1/year, or something like that.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#57

Post by celticninja » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:47 PM UTC

leephillips wrote: post #31

egwor wrote: post #14

I'm so disappointed in this. Whatsapp is a functional tool. It was successful since it worked. Facebook has entirely failed to utilise it - to allow external systems to connect in so that businesses can do business on there. The voice calls are also a disaster. They've now come along to start messing with the privacy to start selling ads. It is insane that they're able to make such a mess of this. Is there a word for…

I agree with you completely, but “Most of us paid some money for the app”: I didn’t know it was possible to pay for WhatsApp. On what platforms does it cost money?

the app was 99p when i first downloaded it I think.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#58

Post by vxNsr » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:48 PM UTC

PetitPrince wrote: post #33

leephillips wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you completely, but “Most of us paid some money for the app”: I didn’t know it was possible to pay for WhatsApp. On what platforms does it cost money?

Initially WhatsApp (before Facebook acquisition) had a (cheap!) one time fee.

And then it was an annual fee, of $1 billed to your cell service provider, people had a much easier time parting with $1 at some future point on their cellphone bill which anyways is dynamic vs $1 now in the app. for the team size the projected amount they’d make was fine.

iirc it had like 500mil users and less than 50 ppl in the company.

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#59

Post by rapnie » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:50 PM UTC

A question to anyone that already made the jump away from Whatsapp:

Do people that used to msg me still see my entry in their own accounts list, after I closed it?

And if they do, do they get notified if still sending msgs there, or are these just shown as forever unread?

Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash

#60

Post by OnlyLys » Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 2:50 PM UTC

sefrost wrote: post #45

OnlyLys wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to pay for a WhatsApp subscription. I remember it being a small amount per year. But they did it away with it after Facebook bought them.

Did it ever actually charge anyone? I remember agreeing to something like $1 per year but never being charged.

Now that you mention it, I do remember being given free extensions to the WhatsApp service. But at some point I recall the extension had run out and I had to pay for it.