Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones • Hacker News Board

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#71

Post by dkdbejwi383 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:19 PM UTC

georgiecasey wrote: post #32

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

> since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. Same in my country, I don't think Americans (or the American tech culture) realise how ubiquitous WhatsApp is in Europe and around the world.

In the UK, I’ve basically only used WhatsApp for sms-type communication for the past 4 years. Actual SMS is for one-time passcodes and automated messages from my bank and doctor.

Previous to that, I was in Australia where practically nobody used WhatsApp, favouring iMessage or Facebook messenger.

Messaging app adoption is highly localised.

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#72

Post by beckman466 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:40 PM UTC

harperlee wrote: post #58

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

> This is a SMS client, not a chat client That is a subjective take that's mainly in your head. WhatsApp is a client for chatting, so it is a chat client. It does not use the SMS network, so it is not an SMS client. Some countries such as US and France had free SMS services, that enabled it to be used as chat. Other places SMS being costly it was used as a "write ideally one message" functionality, similar to email (…

> That is a subjective take that's mainly in your head.

Wow that’s gaslighty

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#73

Post by temp667 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:45 PM UTC

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

I can't help but wondering how many lives WhatsApp has helped.

And it is definitely NOT an SMS client. The entire reason it has become so popular is that it does not use SMS. Before WhatsApp - the govt in these countries - supposedly looking out for the common good - allowed telecom carriers (usually giant oligarchs) to charge OBSENE per msg rates.

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#74

Post by Abishek_Muthian » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

> I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature.

Fun fact: WhatsApp was initially just that i.e. It showed status of its users online and people started using it to share messages leading up to the development of full-fledged chat app.

We may be from the same country, Where peer pressure to have a WhatsApp account is so high that friends and relatives get offended if you don't have one.

So I have isolated WhatsApp to a android VM, it sends me an encrypted email of the incoming messages, lets know the sender the same and that they need to message me on Signal if expect faster reply[1].

[1] https://abishekmuthian.com/send-and-receive-whatsapp-message...

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#75

Post by temp667 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

gridder wrote: post #22

dec0dedab0de wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only used WhatsApp for a year or so to talk to a specific person, but it definitely felt like a chat client to me. My general impression is that it is a lesser version of AIM but using phone numbers as logins. To be fair, I think of all instant messaging apps as lesser versions of AIM, and I still can't believe AOL dropped the ball so hard on that. I don't remember the online indication, is that only when you're ac…

When you are online anyone can check it. There is no option to hide the online status. Using an easy script anyone can then spy and understand pretty much everything of a person, or a group. This is easy cyber stalking and dangerous. Especially because normal people do not understand this and think that hiding last seen is useful to avoid being stalked…

" understand pretty much everything of a person, or a group."

How does this work - does it leak status or location, messages, contact lists etc? We have a number of folks who are absolutely freaking out over how folks are being killed because of this - can someone walk us through how it leaks all this info?

A quick note that I make my entire calendar public in terms of available times so that folks can schedule their time with me.

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#76

Post by beckman466 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:50 PM UTC

mahathu wrote: post #53

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

> I can't help but wonder how many lives this feature has ruined I agree with your comment completely, but isn't this a bit a bit of an exaggeration?

> I agree with your comment completely, but isn't this a bit a bit of an exaggeration?

No. Many global south countries like Brazil use WhatsApp instead of sms, and not being able to control what information you push out is therefore dangerous. As someone else wrote in this sub, you don’t need to first ‘friend’ or link with someone on WhatsApp before they can see all your info (like how often and how long someone is online). Stalking and stalkers are more prevalent than you think. Nevermind that the situation is also different depending on your gender (women are stalked and victims of violence more than men).

Also I think a few people here seem really concerned with whether its an SMS or an IM service, but I think that doesn’t matter when you ask instead what’s affordable and accessible to the average person in the global south. I think you’ll find that sms and calls are usually luxuries reserved for the tiny minority in power).

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#77

Post by perryizgr8 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:52 PM UTC

> Yes, it’s a picture. Trackers free

I love that picture of a tweet, instead of an embedded one that takes 1 million years to load after you have scrolled to it, and not before.

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#78

Post by perryizgr8 » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:52 PM UTC

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

Whatsapp has nothing to do with SMS? Why would you think so?

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#79

Post by ryandrake » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 5:54 PM UTC

georgiecasey wrote: post #32

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

> since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. Same in my country, I don't think Americans (or the American tech culture) realise how ubiquitous WhatsApp is in Europe and around the world.

There are a lot of things that are "ubiquitous" but I still wouldn't voluntarily use. Between this thread and the YouTube one today, and countless other ones in the recent past, there seem to be a growing number of "Xyz app is bad, but I won't stop using it" threads lately. I mean, talk about being part of the problem and not part of the solution. Whatever happened to "Be the change you want to see in the world?"

Re: Tracking the WhatsApp habits of random smartphones

#80

Post by sdiq » Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

peterjmag wrote: post #29

puttycat wrote: post #14

I've been using WhatsApp for years, reluctantly since it is the de-facto SMS standard in my country. I will never, ever, understand the "online" status feature. It is ridiculously invasive and cannot ever be turned off or even hidden from specific contacts. This is a SMS client, not a chat client, and revealing a user's online status is highly problematic both socially and security-wise. I can't help but wonder how m…

Totally agreed that it's invasive. Same for the "typing" indicator, which also can't be disabled. If I'm writing something longer than a sentence or two, I usually just compose it somewhere else and then copy/paste it into WhatsApp, just to avoid feeling observed. The fact that those two things can't be disabled actually makes me want to use WhatsApp less. I doubt I'm alone in that. Makes me wonder if Facebook's "eng…

I also type elsewhere and copy paste to Whatsapp anytime I am writing something longer than a couple lines. I have also disabled the last seen feature. The currently online status seem way worse than last seen and can't be disabled.