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Yes, Chrome does it as well, but I expect that as it's a web browser. I know the tradeoffs when browsing the web and expect that my requests will be visible ac

Yes, Chrome does it as well, but I expect that as it's a web browser. I know the tradeoffs when browsing the web and expect that my requests will be visible across the Internet. That's just how web browsing works. However, WhatsApp is selling a solution that is meant to provide privacy. When I write a URL in an SMS, my phone does not try to preemptively retrieve it to display a preview. WhatsApp may be encrypting the message, but it's identifying me to a server while I'm composing it, which is enough to completely destroy any level of privacy or anonymity that I would expect.

koolba 9y ago
Maybe not SMS but newer versions of iMessage will prefetch urls to generate a preview. I don't recall if it happens as you type (like WhatsApp) or after you hit send though.
justboxing 9y ago
> WhatsApp is selling a solution that is meant to provide privacy. Yep you are right. They even tout this in their Security Page. https://www.whatsapp.com/security/ https://www.whatsapp.com/security/ > WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're communicating with can read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp. This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them.
- eip 9y ago
  http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-zuck-yeah-so-if-you-ever-need-info-about-anyone-at-harvard-zuck-just-ask-zuck-i-have-over-mark-zuckerberg-280610.jpg http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-zuck-yeah-so-if-yo...
- cuckcuckspruce 9y ago
  I suppose that I'm not surprised. You can't audit WhatsApp's source code, and even if you could, you can't guarantee what you're putting on your device matches the source code. Yet another closed source, inherently untrustable system.
  - DougN7 9y ago
    Even with open source you don't know what you're putting on your device matches the source code (unless you're part of the 0.00001% that would compile their own mobile apps).
adrianratnapala 9y ago
Even if WhatsApp is not about privacy there seems to be a difference here. Am I misunderstanding, or are these requests happening just because someone is typing a message that happens to contain some string that looks like a URL. At least with a browser, you are entering things that are supposed to ultimately result in HTTP requests.
- cuckcuckspruce 9y ago
  Some browsers may send what you type in the address bar to a search engine - I know that Chrome does. So again, I wouldn't be surprised if this is done - that's what web browsers do. They don't make a claim of providing privacy and security.

koolba 9y ago

Maybe not SMS but newer versions of iMessage will prefetch urls to generate a preview. I don't recall if it happens as you type (like WhatsApp) or after you hit send though.

justboxing 9y ago

> WhatsApp is selling a solution that is meant to provide privacy. Yep you are right. They even tout this in their Security Page. https://www.whatsapp.com/security/ https://www.whatsapp.com/security/ > WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're communicating with can read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp. This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them.

eip 9y ago
http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-zuck-yeah-so-if-you-ever-need-info-about-anyone-at-harvard-zuck-just-ask-zuck-i-have-over-mark-zuckerberg-280610.jpg http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-zuck-yeah-so-if-yo...
cuckcuckspruce 9y ago
I suppose that I'm not surprised. You can't audit WhatsApp's source code, and even if you could, you can't guarantee what you're putting on your device matches the source code. Yet another closed source, inherently untrustable system.
- DougN7 9y ago
  Even with open source you don't know what you're putting on your device matches the source code (unless you're part of the 0.00001% that would compile their own mobile apps).

adrianratnapala 9y ago

Even if WhatsApp is not about privacy there seems to be a difference here. Am I misunderstanding, or are these requests happening just because someone is typing a message that happens to contain some string that looks like a URL. At least with a browser, you are entering things that are supposed to ultimately result in HTTP requests.

cuckcuckspruce 9y ago
Some browsers may send what you type in the address bar to a search engine - I know that Chrome does. So again, I wouldn't be surprised if this is done - that's what web browsers do. They don't make a claim of providing privacy and security.