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[-] cultsuperstar@kbin.social 114 points 1 year ago

This article didn't really give any new reasons not to use WhatsApp. All the reasons stated in the article are already known. I thought this article was about a new breach or something, but it's a rehash of info that's been around a while. The article is also a few months old, dating back to April.

If there's one thing I've learned, people will use whatever app they're most comfortable with and whatever app their friends use, regardless of security ("I got nothing to hide!") or features ("I don't care about x or y!"). Then you end up like me, using several different apps. That's not necessarily a bad thing as I like using different apps and seeing how features differ from app to app, like how an app shows link previews, or if it can display a meme by pasting the link in the text box vs having to download the image and attach it in-line. But it's hard to get people to switch when a lot of people don't care.

[-] UdeRecife@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

@cultsuperstar

Then you end up like me, using several different apps. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as I like using different apps and seeing how features differ from app to app, like how an app shows link previews, or if it can display a meme by pasting the link in the text box vs having to download the image and attach it in-line.

I want to thank you for this comment. You made me think of something that felt like my mind was expanding a bit. You're mentioning a kind of personal decentralized attitude towards what apps we use.

Why stuck to just one? Why put all eggs in one basket? Yeah, I know it's more comfortable. But being comfortable does not make it safe, failure-proof. With this I'm not trying to point out some faux-pas on your thinking. Rather the reverse. You're hinting at something that bears a lot of meaning.

Instead of me being frustrated because other people won't change their platforms, I can see that as an opportunity to decentralize my own practices. I can embrace other people's immobility as both an example of what I should avoid and of being forced to keep a lot of channels open. While they're stuck into the centralization trap, I'm federating between different instances.

Again, thank you for your comment. It was really eye opening.

[-] ProfessorFlaw@lemmy.world 92 points 1 year ago

The problem is everybody is using it and its impossible to move to signal etc

[-] Anders429@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

Dang, I'm feeling pretty lucky that no one in my life uses WhatsApp. Sounds like that's not the norm.

[-] ProfessorFlaw@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

In europe literally everybody uses whatsapp you wont be able to do anything without it (docotrs, food delivery, literally every person like friends and familly, corona test results, company customer support, the list goes on)

[-] tad_lispy@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

That's grossly exaggerated. I live in western Europe and never once used WhatsApp. There are very occasional frictions, like people being surprised I don't have it. Then when I explain that it's operated by Facebook, they are also surprised and sometimes are willing to quit themselves.

[-] 0000011110110111i@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

I live in Europe and I don’t use WhatsApp. Never have. Hasn’t been a problem for me.

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[-] scottywh@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

It's not nearly as common in the US as it seems to be in many places in Europe.

[-] Zetaphor@zemmy.cc 14 points 1 year ago

Also all of South America. Everything from ordering pizza to scheduling a doctor's appointment. Not having WhatsApp means you are not able to participate in society

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[-] PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

EVERYONE in my backwater country of residence uses WhatsApp and they can't be bothered to use anything else.

When I say I don't have that service then they are stumped and can't think of a way to message me. Fucking morons.

Adults in Austria... Sigh.

[-] Jujuki@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Not only everybody, but companies, banks and goverment instances are using it too. Some apps that sends their OTP via WhatsApp. Some companies and instances only reachable.via whatsapp bot and whatnot.

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[-] Synthead@lemmy.world 90 points 1 year ago

It's owned by meta, which is notoriously bad with your privacy.

Saved you a click.

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[-] Coeus@coeus.sbs 87 points 1 year ago

What if I'm already not using it?

[-] Walter_Ego@lemmy.arpatubes.net 7 points 1 year ago

what if love isn't enough?

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

What if love? Baby don't hurt me

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[-] Mantis_Toboggan@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago

As someone from Latin America. FUCK!

It’s literally what everyone uses for business, family/friends groups. Don’t know if any country around here is an exception, but we started using it because greedy telecoms were charging so much money for SMS at the time. So, it was a great way to circumvent that.

Then Facebook bought it when it was already established, so it’s improbable that people will move away from it.

[-] Screwthehole@lemmy.world 43 points 1 year ago

The article isn't very, uh, articulate in its reasoning. Nothing here is an actual real life problem it's all just what-ifs, and 2 billion people aren't going to quit using it

[-] zaph@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago

A teen in Nebraska was sentenced to 3 months in jail because Facebook turned over her "private" messages but sure, no real life problems with trusting meta with your "encrypted" messages.

[-] grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I do not disagree with your basic premise and I completely disagree with the Nebraska prosecution but I think people need to understand that everything we do online it's monitored.

If they can't get the actual message data, they will use meta data (e.g. two parties sending and receiving data packets that match in size and time of occurrence and protocol and are known to each other) or whatever.

If you are doing something you are worried about other people knowing about, do not use any digital form of communication. Full stop. There is no privacy online.

[-] zaph@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

You're absolutely right, there's no privacy online. But there are significantly better alternatives that offer end to end encryption and sometimes digital communication is required.

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[-] yeather@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago

That was Facebook Messenger too, completely different app and problem, not that Whatsapp isnt better or worse.

[-] zaph@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I used it as an example because they're both owned by meta and make similar promises on privacy and encryption.

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Time to move to Telegram/Signal

[-] XpeeN@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 year ago

Signal. Just signal

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[-] ice2194@kbin.social 57 points 1 year ago

The day it was bought by Meta(Facebook) people should have moved away if you ask me.
Then again that's easy for me to say as someone who doesn't talk to anyone and so doesn't need any messenger apps. However I hear Signal is good.

[-] ohlaph@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago

I haven't used it since it was purchased by Facebook.

[-] rebul@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago

I seem to remember that the former owner of Whatsapp recommended people NOT use it after he sold it to Zuck.

[-] 1chemistdown@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago

He financed Signal app after walking away from meta and an addition 3/4 of a billion or something like that. He publicly stated that they’re evil. When financing Signal App his one stipulation was don’t do that

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[-] DaveNa@lemmy.ml 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I would like more clickbait title please, thanks.

[-] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 year ago
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[-] kylostillreigns@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Despite all of its privacy concerns, one can't really get rid of it if everyone around is using it as the default communication mode, unless you're a social outcast. The thing with communication apps is that they aren't a personal choice.

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[-] MyDogLovesMe@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago

Ungh, my family all uses it. So I’m kind of forced to use it only for one chat as were all far away. I seriously DON’T want it on my phone though.

[-] NumbersCanBeFun@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Try to see if they are open to switching to Signal or Telegram. I got a couple people I know to switch to Signal and they have been using it since.

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[-] yoz@aussie.zone 9 points 1 year ago

Deleted whatsapp in 2016 and never looked back.

[-] evatronic@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

Google is pushing RCS pretty hard in a lot of markets. It supplants SMS functionality, and in Google's own "Messages" app, it operates in a way that the end user doesn't have to actively select one oro the other.

RCS also has all (or most of) the features you see in other apps like WhatsApp, etc. It has the potential for end-to-end encryption in the spec, and Google says it's on by default when both parties in a conversation support it, but I don't know if that's actually true or marketing bullshit.

Here's to hoping Google will stick with this one long enough for the standard to take hold. RCS is what messaging should be.

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[-] Zaphodquixote@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

Anymore? I've literally never used it. Refused to, even.

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[-] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

And lose the ability to interact with all those people that won't be convinced to switch to less of a software gore?

Yeah, definitely great idea, so rebel & stuff...

[-] iamak@infosec.pub 15 points 1 year ago

You should read about EU's proposed law DMA. It aims to solve this problem of not being able to contact friends if you uninstall WhatsApp (or any other app). The link explains it better lol

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I have a distrust of just about all things corporate. That's reason enough for me not to use it.

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this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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