Should we or should we not use WhatsApp?

The industry has suddenly became fuzzy about the WhatsApp privacy policy update.

Why?

The primary allegation (or, it’s a future fact, according to WA) is that WhatsApp (WA) wants to share the individual information with Facebook (FB) and other group services/applications.

So what?

Those who have Facebook accounts and, are very active in it, what additional information (pertaining to them) WA is going to share with FB? FB already knows many (personal / private) things about the users including what kind of websites they visit, their behaviors, contacts and so on; needless to mention, about the kinds of 'friends' they have, their looks and feels, the psychological pulses etc.

Just review the amount of information that is being shared in FB by users - pictures and videos (of self, family members including children, friends etc.), locations, intentions, journeys, relationships, profession, hobbies, moods, contact details and so on.

The WA rationale

We forget to understand one thing - there is no free lunch anywhere in the world. WA is a commercial service incurring a lot of money to maintain. They also have to recover it and/or make profit out of it. Those who are running it are not saints or doing charity. When someone expects something to be delivered free, that cannot be on their terms, it can only be on the provider's terms. If a user has concerns, better they quit; this is what WA is also saying - it’s not arrogance, it’s just their term for using their service (using the service is anyways optional for a user).

We all must admit and accept, data has a commercial value and, within the boundaries of regulations, laws and ethics, it may have to be monetized. If it is not acceptable, one has the right to opt out of it, if it is feasible to do so.

Its simple: how those analytical engines are going to work if the information is not available to them?

Can one quit / stop using WA?

Yes, for sure...if

1. he / she wishes to be in isolation, aloof

2. there is another better (?!) app available

3. the alternate app becomes so popular like WA and it is being used by many, widely

4. the other app is capable of protecting the so called personal data and assure (close to) 100% privacy. (Trust me, they cannot survive for a longer time.) (Note: close to 100% meaning, data leakage due to reasons not of the providers)

5. everyone else (in the ecosystem) understands the risk of using WA and willing to move to a commonly accepted / agreed platform.

6. you are sure you can use other platforms (and you believe they are safe!) for seamless communication in the same way or in a better way than WA

Do other apps assure privacy?

General perception: Yes!

If yes, how?

• What’s the guarantee one has that those apps will not share the data with their business partners and find the money for their existence?

• How are we going to trust them on their promises?

• How are we going to test the privacy controls implemented by them?

It’s only a myth to think that there are apps providing assurance on privacy protection the way we expect and want.

It goes by perceptions, lack of understanding of the intents and the purposes of existence of apps. Just because an app says its from a not for profit organisation or its open source, it does not mean that its safe or do not gather and share info with others.

Other communication apps?

There are many apps in the market for instant messaging. The users will not even know the origin of those apps (country, promoters, holding companies etc.), the purposes of them existing and what exactly can be obtained from them.

Many of those apps function not in compliance with many regulatory requirements that are existing in various parts of the world. For signing up, some require just an email id, some require a mobile (or a normal telephone) number, some of them do not verify the identity of the user through some means…The issue of non-repudiation is exists with many such apps.

Many of those apps do not have a clear privacy policy. Even when a vague policy exists, the trustworthiness is in question. No reliable information available in the industry about how they function and how far they are binding legally.

More questionable fact is: some commercial celebrities endorse certain apps without knowing what exactly is involved and the real issues. This leads to the suspicion that they have some vested interest in it. This app may be from a not for profit organisation or struggling to become popular but some one has an eye on it from a commercial angle.

Are other apps as transparent as WA?

Take a look at the alternate apps proposed by many in the industry. Are they transparent enough to give you that amount of confidence on privacy?

What should users do?

Why does one share any information that is considered very confidential or private via a public chat service?

• Decide what can be shared and what cannot be shared via this platform. Reduce the risk by analyzing your usage and the way how it is being used.

• Limit the usage to most necessary ones.

• Business users (especially when paid), others as well, can insist on terms related to privacy protection. Today various service providers, including banks, telecom companies and travel companies use WhatsApp for communication on the transactions, financial status, travel plans etc. This is likely to pose huge risk to individuals if their information is compromised.

• Use with caution, be aware of the implications of data leakage when sensitive data is shared via this platform.

• Apply discrimination and diligence in the use of the app and the information that is disseminated via it.

• Represent your genuine, fact based concerns to the provider through appropriate channels.

• Evaluate the (alternate) app(s) objectively with facts before concluding on anything and choose the best based on the objective evaluation. This rationalises your decision. While doing so, don’t go by perceptions and opinions of others who do not have the capability to opine on such matters. Be aware of those who produce such views, their intentions and interests. Listen to the legal / regulatory authorities as well.

• Watch the scenario, responses from WA and FB and decide to move on if required.

Be aware that once you are on the internet anywhere, may be using an app / service like WA or FB (or any other for that matter), your information is available to many. All the devices are connected. In the days of IoT, it’s extremely difficult to ensure one’s privacy. It also depends on others and how others use our data.

What should the industry do now?

When the industry and market find that the app's terms are unfair (here, WA), the mass can petition to the provider highlighting the odds in the terms and persuade the provider to be legitimate.

Review their compliance to the existing privacy laws and regulations and highlight the non-compliances, to the provider and the respective regulatory bodies.

Persuade other providers to come up with competitive apps that ensure privacy.

Ask WA to clarify on the concerns users have.

Industry forums / user associations to pressurize the governmental / regulatory bodies to look into the matter and clarify from a legal standpoint and also on the sanctity / legitimacy of the (amended) privacy policy.

What users should not do?

Don’t be part of a propaganda against the app on incorrect grounds, purely based on the perceptions and others' opinions without understanding the real implications (if any) and intricacies.

Enjoy the trolls with a lightness of touch, don’t encourage them without a basis.

We all rely on information for our various personal and professional purposes. WA kind of an application makes the lives very easy and simple to disseminate information without incurrence of cost.

Don’t just quit WA and dismantle the groups that you are maintaining. It took lot of effort and time to assemble a group, but dismantling is very easy. Be wary of many users unwilling to migrate to another app that you may want to use as they also have their own perceptions.

Many decide to quit WA based on their emotions as if WA has done something unpardonable to them. At the end of the day, it was your decision to use a free app for your communication. Take the call based on rationale not just based on the emotions.

Media blow it up (as you know, today anything can be spread via social media), people with half baked knowledge spread information with incorrect perspectives. Don’t go by those, use your intelligence to judge. More interestingly, people use WA and FB to conduct propaganda against them!

Why WA has come up with such a policy now?

Various possibilities...

Perhaps, if WA gets separated from FaceBook, it may be very difficult for WA to share information that may help FB business. The legal formality is getting completed now that could be part of the future contract with the buyers of WA (if that happens).

It can better be viewed as a formal procedure as many believe that there is no reliable info that current WA data is not being shared with FB.

It could also be because of the fact that it is no more feasible to run a free service without monetizing the data to survive.

Why we should continue to use WA?

1. Primarily due to the fact that it is from a global giant that has many kinds of compliance obligations across the world and those are binding on them.

2. The holding company has a better reputation in the market so far.

3. The flexibility and features the app provides is unparalleled.

4. The reliability and stability of the app and the operations is proven over a period of time when compared to the rest

5. The commitment on feature enhancements from time to time.

6. To a great extent the transparency that is brought in.

Is it only with WA or other apps as well?

Yes, a good question!

Its sadly interesting that most believe the problem is only with WA. There are many apps that are installed in computers or other mobile devices that steal information from the devices and sold to partners for making money for their survival. Let that be a free browser, communication app, caller information app, retail (e-tail) stores app, news app, email app, or any other for that matter. They all access various kinds of information from the devices, eventually, sharing with their parent companies, using for their own purposes or selling to partners. This is true whether we like it or not, aware of it or not, accept it or not.

Now its WA, tomorrow it could be with any other app that we may have on our device or that we replace WA with. Be sure of the privacy policies of the apps that are already installed on the devices. It definitely will NOT be a surprise if you come to know that many apps that you have already installed are much more dangerous than WA.

Ironical perspectives

Most of us use webmail services that are delivered free. We exchange and store various kinds of very confidential information via email. Email providers parse through the emails for their commercial purposes. How many occasions the users have become aware of it and decided to get away from those free email services?

What privacy violation we are going to face with WA that doesn’t happen in case of a free email service?

Is it only that we are concerned when it is explicitly stated through a policy amendment, not when it is vaguely stated at an abstract level? It is a ridiculous ignorance.

This note is not to favor WA or to oppose others. This is only to bring in an awareness and a perspective on our incorrect perceptions. I'm also against all the commercial exploitations. But, at the same time, don’t believe that services should be delivered FREE ON OUR TERMS.