WhatsApp and data protection: You should know that
Many smartphone users have installed WhatsApp on their phone. But what about data protection at WhatsApp? We answer this question in this practical tip.
WhatsApp and data protection: access rights
- WhatsApp requires a lot of access rights on both Android and iOS - including rights that sound very dangerous for data protection: query location, read / receive SMS, access to camera and microphone, etc.
- However, it must be borne in mind that many of these rights are also required to guarantee a pleasant "messenger experience". For example, you would not be able to send voice memos without access to the microphone.
- However, these rights can of course also be exploited. In theory, for example, it is possible to continuously record with the microphone and secretly send it to different servers. So the potential for the "super bug" is there, but it is currently very unlikely that WhatsApp is a spy tool.
Storage of various data on the WhatsApp servers
- It is often feared that WhatsApp stores a lot of user data on American servers and may sell it to third parties.
- On request, the developers announced that only the respective phone numbers, invoice documents and messages are temporarily saved.
- The phone numbers are saved without further information - i.e. without a name from the personal address book. The numbers are required to enable communication. Otherwise the app could not show who installed WhatsApp in your address book.
- Messages and invoice documents are also saved on the servers - however, only until the recipient has received them. Then they are deleted. If the message is not delivered within 30 days, it will also be deleted automatically. Invoice data is normally never deleted. However, if you delete your account, these will also be removed from the servers after 30 days.
- However, the general terms and conditions of WhatsApp leave a lot to be desired in terms of data protection, according to the "Stiftung Warentest". For example, the company secures the right to pass the data on to third parties. Even when a sale is made, all data is passed on to the new owner - in this case, to the Facebook company.
Encryption with WhatsApp
- For a long time, WhatsApp sent data completely without encryption. This means that everyone on the same network (e.g. WiFi) could read your WhatsApp messages. In addition, anyone with access to the WhatsApp server could theoretically read their messages.
- End-to-end encryption has been available since November 2014 - but only for Android. WhatsApp users with another operating system still send your data unencrypted through the network.
- In addition, communication on the part of the company is very poor: nothing is known about the encryption - only that the company "Oper Whisper Systems" has worked with WhatsApp.
- In the past, there was a small security update for the Android versions of WhatsApp. Server encryption was installed here. However, according to data protection experts, this was more than defective and could easily be decrypted. The company "Open Whisper Systems" was not yet involved in this update.
Conclusion: data protection and WhatsApp
- WhatsApp seems to be taking the first steps in the right direction: End-to-end encryption is the least of a messenger today. However, many competitors like Telegram or Threema are much further ahead.
- In the past, neither the company nor the app itself was covered with fame: serious security gaps were often found and it took a long time to close them. In addition, the company discloses almost no information - not even in the changelogs of the updates. So it is often not clear whether a problem has really been resolved.
- Furthermore, the app is now part of the company Facebook: It is well known that Facebook makes its money from the information of the users. So far, this should not be the case with WhatsApp, but you can not be sure. A lot can change due to the current terms and conditions.
- WhatsApp is not a really secure messenger: especially if you want to protect yourself from authorities like the NSA, you should switch to a different messenger. Because WhatsApp is an American company that also stores its information on American servers.
- Safe alternatives to WhatsApp are Threema and Telegram. Although these cannot offer 100 percent security, they are definitely more secure than WhatsApp.