Of all the messaging apps in the UK, it was WhatsApp that took the top spot in terms of popularity last year. This year, however, it seems the tables have turned on the opinion of this social media platform which is edging increasingly towards becoming distrusted by the public.
What was once the most used chatting app is now threatening to leave the UK over privacy concerns after the app has been accused of “listening in on people” in their sleep.
“WhatsApp Cannot Be Trusted”
As per usual, Elon Musk is at the forefront of news on this matter after the tech tycoon publicly stated “WhatsApp cannot be trusted” on his Twitter account.
Musk posted this message in response to user @foaddabiri who tweeted a picture of their WhatsApp timeline seemingly listening in on them in their sleep via the phone microphone.
“WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6 AM…What’s going on?”, wrote the angry user who shared the screenshot of apparent listening in on his Google Pixel phone.
Reports of this listening-in issue first surfaced in April and have been exclusive to users with Android phones. Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri shared the screenshot of the app apparently listening in through his microphone on his Google Pixel phone.
This has left everyone wondering – what exactly is happening with Android phones and why are they being affected by this worrying issue?
So, What’s Going On?
WhatsApp has hit back at comments accusing the platform of spying on users in their sleep. The company has been active on Twitter lately trying to reassure users regarding this apparent microphone misuse.
In a recent tweet, the social media platform said: “Users have full control over their mic settings.”
“Once granted permission, WhatsApp only accesses the mic when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video – and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot hear them.”
WhatsApp then went on to explain their misuse of microphones: “We believe this is a bug on Android that misattributes information in their Privacy Dashboard,
The chatting app insisted that they “have asked Google to investigate and remediate” the issue.
So, it appears Musk has tried to exacerbate an issue which has seemingly just been due to a software bug all along though this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Musk is a well-known supporter of WhatsApp’s rival app Signal which is the product of his long-term opponent Mike Zuckerburg.
Musk replied to another tweet from @gannonbreslin which stated “It’s incredible how many people don’t realize that WhatsApp is owned by Meta / Facebook” to which Musk simply agreed with – “Yeah” – before openly criticising Meta.
Evidently, Musk finds it difficult to hide his own biases and shouldn’t always be taken at his word… Nonetheless, the WhatsApp error is still profoundly concerning and it is evident the messaging app is trying to remedy the problem as fast as possible.
WhatsApp has asked Google, which owns Android, to investigate and fix the bug and a spokesperson from Google has assured the public that: “We are aware of the issue and are working closely with WhatsApp to investigate”.
This listening-in only taking place on Android phones does point to the issue just being a specific software bug, nevertheless, these accusations have still put WhatsApp in a vulnerable position in the UK due to continuing government concerns.
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Hitting Back At The Online Saftey Bill
Whether the issue really is a bug or not, reports of listening in on people sleeping come at a bad time for WhatsApp which is currently in the midst of calling out the UK government’s new Only Saftey Bill for its imposition of people’s safety and security.
The Online Safety Bill is aimed at tackling illegal and harmful content by imposing new legal requirements on big tech companies, including WhatsApp.
Under the proposed new laws Ofcom would have the power to impose requirements for social networks to use technology to tackle content such as sexual abuse or terrorism.
In response to this new bill, WhatsApp stated in an open letter: “The UK government is currently considering new legislation that opens the door to trying to force technology companies to break end-to-end encryption on private messaging services. The law could give an unelected official the power to weaken the privacy of billions of people around the world.
“We don’t think any company, government or person should have the power to read your personal messages and we’ll continue to defend encryption technology.
The messaging app believes the bill would be an “unprecedented threat to the privacy, safety and security of every UK citizen and the people with whom they communicate around the world.”
So, WhatsApp is in a tricky situation in the UK. While criticising the government for imposing a bill the company believes is a threat to privacy and security, the app itself is now under threat for listening in and spying on its users.
Is It Normal For Technology To Listen In On Us?
Although some may find this apparent listening in from WhatsApp a disturbing notion, whether it’s true or not, the notion of modern technology listening in on us shouldn’t be such a surprising thought.
Some home devices, such as Alexa and Google Nest, are always listening unless they are specifically switched off. This is because these voice activation devices need to be listening out in order to hear commands.
But whilst it is evident that masses of people are happy for their Alexa or Google Nest listening in on them, it’s obvious that no one wants their WhatsApp to hear anything outside of calls made on the app.
If you do have an Android phone and are concerned about WhatsApp technology listening in on you, until the bug is fixed you can block microphone access to the app though it should be noted that you won’t be able to record any sound in WhatsApp if you do so.
Simply go to the ‘Settings’ app, taps ‘Apps’, ‘See all apps’ then ‘Permissions’ where you can deny microphone permission by selecting the setting, ‘Don’t Allow’.
Despite Android phones allowing users to decide which apps they trust with their microphones, some have criticised the company for being one step behind Apple.
There have been no reports of these WhatsApp errors impacting Apple devices. iPhone owners can even access their very own App Privacy Report which tells users which apps are accessing their microphone, cameras, and location.
Unfortunately for Android, this bug demonstrates that the software has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with its tech rival Apple which continues to reign supreme in the UK and the US.
The post Is This App Listening To You In Your Sleep? appeared first on TechRound.