
Threads on WhatsApp Security - ColinWright
From theguardian.com on Jan 13, 2017:<p>&gt; <i>WhatsApp backdoor allows snooping on encrypted messages</i><p>Link to discussion: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13389935<p>Response on whispersystems.org on Jan 13, 2017<p>&gt; <i>There is no WhatsApp &#x27;backdoor&#x27;</i><p>Link to discussion: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=13394900<p>Now we have a blog post on telegra.ph on Jan 31, 2020:<p>&gt; <i>Why Using WhatsApp Is Dangerous</i><p>Link to discussion: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=22200300<p>This has been public service announce ... pleas feel free to link other relevant discussions in the comments, I&#x27;d be interested to see anything substantive that adds to this.
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ColinWright
Clickable links:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13389935](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13389935)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13394900](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13394900)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200300](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200300)

FWIW I don't use WhatsApp for one simple reason. I do work in various areas of
varying degrees of security, and I have the personal contact details of some
people who want control over who has their details. WhatsApp demands access to
my entire contacts list, and it's unclear just how I can be absolutely sure I
don't inadvertently give away those contact details.

So I'm not using WhatsApp.

Do you have a reason?

~~~
beagle3
Too much of my life is being run through WhatsApp beyond my control (family,
work, school) - to the point that if I avoid WhatsApp, I miss a lot. In fact,
I avoided WhatsApp for a very long time until I realized the reason I'm always
out of the loop -- in very significant and life impairing ways -- iis because
I don't WhatsApp.

However, I splurged $50 for a 2nd hand "whatsapp only" android handset. It's
not very comfortable, I check messages once a day, but at least I'm not left
out.

------
ColinWright
Quoting taneq[0][1]

> _Last I tried WhatsApp it refused to let me use it without giving it access
> to my entire contact list. Even when “giving it access” to a blank list via
> PrivacyGuard, I couldn’t see a way to add a contact manually. That was a
> deal breaker for me._

And in reply[2] huhtenberg[3] said:

> _That 's hardly surprising. Contact list access is literally THE thing that
> makes WhatsApp valuable to Facebook. You lock down that and they are now
> staring at a massive hosting bill with nothing in return._

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[0]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=taneq](https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=taneq)

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200477](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200477)

[2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200698](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22200698)

[3]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=huhtenberg](https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=huhtenberg)

