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Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible: You don’t have to gi

by jvdh 13y ago

Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible: You don’t have to give us your name and we don’t ask for your email address. We don’t know your birthday. We don’t know your home address. We don’t know where you work. We don’t know your likes, what you search for on the internet or collect your GPS location. None of that data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and we really have no plans to change that. I don't recall them ever being accused of tracking all this information. The problem is the metadata; They know who you are talking to and for Facebook this is exactly the kind of information that they want. They want to enhance their social graphs and have a better view of who interacts with who. This is auspiciously lacking in their statement.

mirkules 13y ago
Sometimes it is more important what a post like this doesn't say. "You don’t have to give us your name and we don’t ask for your email address. We don’t know your birthday. We don’t know your home address. We don’t know where you work. We don’t know your likes, what you search for on the internet or collect your GPS location. None of that data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and we really have no plans to change that." Great: they don't take my PII - but a person can easily be de-anonymized with just meta-data. In addition, nowhere does it say "we won't read your messages" or "we won't sell your conversations". I think they are interested in much more than just meta-data. If I were Facebook, I would be licking my chops at the prospect of access to the mountain of saved private conversations.
- mattlutze 13y ago
  This jumped out at me as well. In his list, they don't-not collect A. my phone number, and B. my entire message history. Certainly he knows that our phone number is PII enough. It's trivial for someone with the means to tie a cell number back to a person, and only slightly less trivial to look at timestamps and cross-reference tower locations and messages to have a quality bit of intel. If he was truly about this "we're not the Stasi" bit, I'd imagine we'd see some measure of assurance they don't store messages. But, then again I don't know that the service would have been worth 19B USD without those.
  - rurounijones 13y ago
    and your phone number is PII that Facebook asks you to register with them! So...yea, not exactly anonymous.
    - mattlutze 13y ago
      I don't know that Facebook requires a phone number, but yes definitely anyone that has given it out has given them that direct link.
      - addandsubtract 13y ago
        Facebook started asking for your phone number a few years ago. It's required for all new signups and existing users are asked to provide one (to continue) as well, afaik. And then there's the Facebook app on mobile phones that reads everyones phone number out of their address book.
mikro2nd 13y ago
I think the key part is scaring people into thinking we’re suddenly collecting all kinds of new data I don't suppose many people outside of the Tinfoil Helmet Brigade doubt this right now, but what of the future? When the piper (fb) comes piping (and that could be a year or three away) what tune will they dance to?

by jvdh 13y ago

mirkules 13y ago

Sometimes it is more important what a post like this doesn't say. "You don’t have to give us your name and we don’t ask for your email address. We don’t know your birthday. We don’t know your home address. We don’t know where you work. We don’t know your likes, what you search for on the internet or collect your GPS location. None of that data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and we really have no plans to change that." Great: they don't take my PII - but a person can easily be de-anonymized with just meta-data. In addition, nowhere does it say "we won't read your messages" or "we won't sell your conversations". I think they are interested in much more than just meta-data. If I were Facebook, I would be licking my chops at the prospect of access to the mountain of saved private conversations.

mattlutze 13y ago
This jumped out at me as well. In his list, they don't-not collect A. my phone number, and B. my entire message history. Certainly he knows that our phone number is PII enough. It's trivial for someone with the means to tie a cell number back to a person, and only slightly less trivial to look at timestamps and cross-reference tower locations and messages to have a quality bit of intel. If he was truly about this "we're not the Stasi" bit, I'd imagine we'd see some measure of assurance they don't store messages. But, then again I don't know that the service would have been worth 19B USD without those.
- rurounijones 13y ago
  and your phone number is PII that Facebook asks you to register with them! So...yea, not exactly anonymous.
  - mattlutze 13y ago
    I don't know that Facebook requires a phone number, but yes definitely anyone that has given it out has given them that direct link.
    - addandsubtract 13y ago
      Facebook started asking for your phone number a few years ago. It's required for all new signups and existing users are asked to provide one (to continue) as well, afaik. And then there's the Facebook app on mobile phones that reads everyones phone number out of their address book.

mikro2nd 13y ago

I think the key part is scaring people into thinking we’re suddenly collecting all kinds of new data I don't suppose many people outside of the Tinfoil Helmet Brigade doubt this right now, but what of the future? When the piper (fb) comes piping (and that could be a year or three away) what tune will they dance to?