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WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

faq.whatsapp.com

111–120 of 178 posts

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Telegram is now going to force ads and block apps that don't show them.. And their chats are not even E2E encrypted except their 'secret chats' but they work only on one device and don't work in groups.

I don't like ads either, but they're only going to be in channels, not in groups and private conversations. And if someone really wants to block ads, there are alternatives: * Build and install a custom client with your own API key, and don't share it with anyone * Use an Xposed module (already exists) or Cydia tweak if you're willing to root/jailbreak your phone As for the encryption, it depends on your threat model…

Why not just use Signal instead?

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#112

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

Telegram is not end to end encrypted, and thus does not preserve privacy at all.

The best way to get your friends to switch messengers is to not be reachable on the bad ones: ie delete your accounts and uninstall the apps.

Retaining your account on bad platforms makes those platforms more attractive to other users and makes the world worse.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#113
No surprise at all, having user data is FB core business, they need to do this to earn money. Google core business is displaying adds, so don't be surprise that one day you'll wake up with a Chrome browser update in which adblock will no longer work.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#114
post #112

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

Telegram is not end to end encrypted, and thus does not preserve privacy at all. The best way to get your friends to switch messengers is to not be reachable on the bad ones: ie delete your accounts and uninstall the apps . Retaining your account on bad platforms makes those platforms more attractive to other users and makes the world worse.

Yes, it's not E2EE by default and can't encrypt group chats.

But it has a native bot API and can handle multiple clients on multiple different devices without any issue.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#115
post #112

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

Telegram is not end to end encrypted, and thus does not preserve privacy at all. The best way to get your friends to switch messengers is to not be reachable on the bad ones: ie delete your accounts and uninstall the apps . Retaining your account on bad platforms makes those platforms more attractive to other users and makes the world worse.

This works for some. However if the sports club of your kid uses WhatsApp to announce training times etc. your kid might miss information etc.

Even niftier: In some countries Facebook created this "FreeBasics/internet.org" scheme where access to Facebook services is free. When travelling Indonesia WhatsApp was the only way to reach the landlords of guest apartments, taxi drivers, ... not even regular SMS/text.

The strength of the network effect can be hard to break.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A decentralised, trustless future perhaps? I'm semi-conspiratorial, semi-fatalistic about society's ability to change politics politically / non-technically. There are too many who are too apathetic (and I might even be one of them by already being semi-fatalistic) that anchor the current system in perpetuity. My conspiratorial side says this is by design, whilst my fatalistic side says it's human nature (essentially…

> There are too many who are too apathetic. Revolutionary change is often a case of "it" getting (a lot) worse before it gets better, but with the inevitability of returning to the previous status quo just with different bums on the same seats. The problem with this is that you have far too many keyboard warriors who read clickbait headlines and decide they want to change the system. The people actually working in th…

I was referring to a potential way that messaging could avoid the ongoing pendulum between small, independent and as-yet un-tainted by snooping platforms and the large, popular, privacy invasions they eventually turn into because of their centralised control.

I wholeheartedly do not believe in making aircraft safety a democratic process.

Horses for courses.

Winston Churchill's quote: “…democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time…”

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#117

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

I’m all for competition, but if I could waive a magic wand and move the world to signal, I’d do it.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a cross-platform, free, secure, open-source communications platform. I’ll take it for now.

Given that WhatsApp uses the Signal tech (largely). I’m always surprised that what’s app still reigns supreme.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#118
post #112

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

Telegram is not end to end encrypted, and thus does not preserve privacy at all. The best way to get your friends to switch messengers is to not be reachable on the bad ones: ie delete your accounts and uninstall the apps . Retaining your account on bad platforms makes those platforms more attractive to other users and makes the world worse.

Telegram, encrypted or not, is safer just because it's not Facebook. Facebook is a privacy black-hole. And whatsapp "encryption" by now it's just a marketing ploy - smartphones can't be trusted for anything privacy related.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#119
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I chuckled when our daycare had a lengthy discussion about data privacy and, twenty minutes later, asked every parent to join the WA group.

I joined a few orgs fighting for a systemic change, understanding the decisions process and be a part of it, more collective life in support of all the discriminated people and a more ecological way of life. Left-leaning stuff. All the public communication happens on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Private comms are on whatever those platforms have, or Telegram and Discord. Only a minority have Signal and most don't…

I had that issue here too in an org here in the Netherlands.

I was working on the tech end, and a lot of our time was spent transferring events from Facebook to other platforms by hand. I asked, "Why are we on Facebook? These guys are completely against us!" and everyone looked patronizingly at the old guy and said, "We need to get our message across in every platform!"

They were completely clueless, and I loved them, but I had to leave.

In particular, there was one guy working with us who had spent their whole lives working for [large company directly opposed to this org].

I asked him once in passing when he left and he didn't answer. I thought nothing of it, but he started to refuse to answer other questions - not in a hostile way, just always changing the subject.

Then I talked to someone else, and this guy had tried to sneak himself in as a "superadministrator" in another project, even after he'd been explicitly told not to. They asked him about why he did that, and again, he just acted as though he had never been asked.

More of this stuff happened. Particularly, the whole "gaslighting and pretending you never answered the question" got to me.

Eventually I brought this up in a meeting with a few people in charge. Everyone thought I was crazy - but trying to hack into a system and then refusing to answer questions, and being thrown off that project?

I left.

The worst part was I liked the guy, and we never argued or anything.

Re: WhatsApp has removed answer to “how do I choose not to share data with FB”

#120

Instead of arguing how bad WhatsApp is in terms of privacy, people would be better off by switching to more privacy respecting alternatives such as Telegram or Signal. I know it's hard to switch if most of your friends are on WhatsApp, but you can talk to them and switch together.

> people would be better off by switching

In the UK, everybody uses Whatsapp, from friends and family to businesses.

That won't change until communication platforms are forced to make their products interoperable with each other. I can't use anything else because nobody else does, I would not even be able to book my Dog in to the Groomers because they won't answer the phone and only respond to Whatsapp.

E2E encryption can protect contents in transit with TOS for communication platforms to join the Multi-provider network stating they cannot analyse the contents of received messages in-app.

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