“We’ve also included more information to try and address concerns we’re hearing,” - yeah, pull the other leg, it has bells on...
WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
231–240 of 303 posts
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#232In the stickiness of whatsapp, I caused something of a stir with my family. After the prev announcement and having a general distrust of facebook that had grown over the years, I deleted my Facebook account and made the announcement in the family whatsapp group that I was leaving whatsapp and they could join me on signal if they wished. I then deleted my whatsapp account. There was much wailing and grumpiness and som…
Somewhat the same for me, though I'm in a bit later stage than you are. I moved my family to Signal as well, but we all got a bit frustrated with the lack of features. No (good) Chromebook support, no message editing, the HARD requirement on owning a phone (which locked out my kids), no message history or even a way to backup messages, etc. A few weeks ago I spun up a tiny EC2 instance, threw a matrix server on it, a…
How does the Matrix experience compare to Signal, feature-wise? I ran into similar frustrations with Signal's lack of polish in certain areas when trying to move family over.
There's something to be said for why WhatsApp is so popular, it feels like the most full-featured and polished communications app.
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#233Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Facebook has entirely failed to utilise it - to allow external systems to connect in so that businesses can do business on there. They weren’t allowed to do that under old TOS, and the whole point of this update is to allow data sharing when contacting businesses, that will allow building business tools. https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/answer...
Yeah I don't understand the outrage? It brings more functionality like Messenger to interface with businesses - which I have found value in. For instance United service there was quicker and better than using the phone line to change/re-book flights. Maybe I'm missing something?
WhatsApp users who in 2016 opted out of sharing data with third parties are now being asked by Facebook to either accept a privacy policy that states their metadata can be shared with third parties or stop chatting with friends and family through their app.
A poster bellow in this thread quoted a Wired article where some FB representative says they will "honor" the opt-out, yet this is not stated anywhere in the privacy policy as far as I can tell. I think it would be trivial for Facebook to make this clear in their new policy.
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#234Earlier quoted context omitted.
How much money is it? I remember WhatsApp being £1/year, or something like that.
yes but was that enough to cover the costs even then?
It might be enough to cover costs, but it's not enough to outweigh the amount Facebook can make by using everyone's data.
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#235A group of my friends asked to set up a groupchat recently, our requirements varied. Among them: - needs to be simple (not all of them are techies) - need to be possible to run on desktop without any mobile need - not Facebook (my requirement) So I went and set an XMPP server up on the same machine I have my email and webserver, and wrote a quick guide on how to install blabber.im (a Conversations fork), and register…
Then you should try a different ones maybe - it'll be an upgrade for sure
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#236Earlier quoted context omitted.
Life probably would have been much easier for you if you had just used a Matrix server.
LOL, no. I've been trying to run my Matrix server for a while without serious hiccups, with audio/video support, federation, irc appservice, and it's a clusterf*ck. Plus if you cared to read the whole entry, I have the reason there why not matrix.
what exactly should we read?
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#237Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whatsapp voice calls are pretty much the only way I can communicate with foreign family. Actually even locally, sometimes whatsapp calls are much better over wifi than cell calls over towers, it's kind of ridiculous. I don't even bother calling frequent contacts over cell any more.
Only after switching my family to Signal, I noticed how much better international voice and video call over Signal than over Whatsapp. With Whatsapp I would often get lag, echo and generally poor voice quality, with Signal it just works perfectly, even better than regular phone calls. Give it a try and check if it's worth it for you.
We do get lag on whatsapp every so often. I'll give signal a shot, thanks!
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whatsapp voice calls are pretty much the only way I can communicate with foreign family. Actually even locally, sometimes whatsapp calls are much better over wifi than cell calls over towers, it's kind of ridiculous. I don't even bother calling frequent contacts over cell any more.
huh. your cell network must be pretty bad. i recall only one time where whatsapp voice was ok-ish (better then regular cellphone) quality but the lag totally killed the conversation. when someone calls me via xy-voice i usually deny it and call them back via cell. it became a meme that only cheapos do this some time ago. international might be different as quality and lag issues are more prevalent and money is usuall…
I'm on an AT&T MVNO in a big US city so I don't think so. VoIP is 9/10 times better than copper for me. Sometimes whatsapp does get weirdly laggy and I have to switch back to cell, but the drop in audio quality is noticeable.
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#239Too big to fail. WhatsApp should be transferred to something like the UN. It is no longer a cool startup/app. It is the main communication infrastructure for the majority of the planet. Yet it's in the hand of unblinking cyborgs.
> for the majority of the planet WeChat would like to have a word.
Who uses WeChat outside of PRC and aside from overseas PRC?
Re: WhatsApp to move ahead with privacy update despite backlash
#240Ugh. Facebook Messenger is an abomination. Your chats are in clear text, and Facebook mines it for advertisement to you.