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Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

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331–340 of 473 posts

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

you’d think that a educated group like this would understand that anecdotes are not sufficient evidence for something like this.

"Data" is just the plural of "anecdote", so why would they not be?

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#332
post #3

IANAL of course, but you should read the ToS carefully and you will probably find something that allows them to read your messages anyway. e2e encryption doesn't forbid to read the messages as you type or read them or read a screenshot of the screen or whatever they can do inside an app :P They were caught activating your camera by "error" a while ago https://www.macrumors.com/2019/11/12/facebook-bug-camera-bac... As…

Are group chats also E2E encrypted?

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#333

I think you partly may just be biased by happening to notice ads more if they fit the topic you sent to your wife or being lenient in deciding if ads meet the categorization. And if you dwell on an ad because it seems to match, you may get more similar ads. Here is how I think you could design a more robust (but less fun) experiment: - Come up with a bunch of topics, write them down on slips of paper, put the paper i…

An important thing you’re missing is the control. You should record every ad.

You need to know if you got 3 topics of ads every day and 1/3 of them are related to that secret topic, OR if you get 300 topics every day and 1/300 are related to that secret topic. If it’s the former, it’s suspicious, if it’s the latter, it’s way less suspicious.

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In general I agree, but I think when you are being explicitly asked for a "source" in response to an allegation that it is settled that FB has been "caught recording people," I would prefer to not have anecdotes in reply.

I mean… this is a conversation, not some sort of formal debate? Someone is telling you "hey, this happened to me," and your response isn't "have you considered this other explanation?" but rather "I won't discuss this further unless you do a bunch of research and present the results to me."

I'm happy to continue discuss it (not sure where you are getting the idea that I'm not from), but I think it is also fair to point out when someone asks for a source to a claim that something has been proven/caught and instead the replies are a bunch of personal stories where people think something is happening.

To me, that is indicative that, contra the original claim, no such thing has ever been proven.

Is it verboten to say that?

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean… this is a conversation, not some sort of formal debate? Someone is telling you "hey, this happened to me," and your response isn't "have you considered this other explanation?" but rather "I won't discuss this further unless you do a bunch of research and present the results to me."

I'm happy to continue discuss it (not sure where you are getting the idea that I'm not from), but I think it is also fair to point out when someone asks for a source to a claim that something has been proven/caught and instead the replies are a bunch of personal stories where people think something is happening. To me, that is indicative that, contra the original claim, no such thing has ever been proven. Is it verbo…

It's not verboten. But, candidly, it is kind of rude. What's the difference between someone at, say, the EFF "proving" something happened by running an experiment and writing about it publicly, and someone on Hacker News doing the same?

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#337

Most users activate WhatsApp's suggested "backup" feature which uploads all chats and those are most likely not E2E encrypted. And of course Meta could just directly read and upload stuff from the app, they probably buried a vague clause for that somewhere in their agreement.

They are E2E encrypted now in recent versions.

No, you have the option, disabled by default, to enable backup encryption. And there are two ways to enable it, one with a short password that when used Meta can always unencrypt the backup themselves and another with a 64 digit key, which AFAIK is unaudited.

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#338
When they say that only "you" have access to read the encrypted message (at the end) could they be being disingenuous with that interpretation?

Take this scenario for example:

1. E2E is not broken in anyway by Meta/Whatsapp. In this scenario only both WhatsApp clients (and thus you and the other person) have access to the messages. This is required for you to even read the messages in the first place.

2. The WhatsApp local instance is running on YOUR device under YOUR username / digital identity. From a legal perspective is it possible that since the app is running under your username that it is also considered "you" ?

3. If number 2 is true then it might give the local WhatsApp instance legal shield to read and do anything it wishes (locally) with the message content. And then of course this could be sent separately back to Meta/Whatsapp in a very small format easily mixed in with other traffic.

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes, a bunch of anecdotes in reply.

Quoted post unavailable.

> packet sniffing software 24/7 to catch proof

I have to say, the fact that no one has done this makes me doubt it's real.

As hated as Facebook is, there's tons of motivation for people to catch them out with undeniable proof, and yet no one has done it.

Re: Ask HN: Ads triggered by WhatsApp “end to end encrypted” messages?

#340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The agent is a friend so I had in my contact list for years. We exchange listings to apartments to view so absolutely they know I'm looking at apartments and all that stuff. Getting adverts for apartments is fine because I know I searched and browsed sites etc. The issue is for 2 weeks I looked at apartments. Got some adverts for AirBnb, other property sites, etc. The particular apartment I looked at, I viewed it, wa…

What keyboard do you use? That is always the one that worries me.....

Stock one on iOS. Never used a custom keyboard. (except when I used Android cos the stock one was terrible ~8 years ago.
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