A Twitter engineer’s claims that WhatsApp accessed his device’s microphone even when the app was not in use have been dismissed by the company, which says users have full control over their microphone settings. Foad Dabiri tweeted a screenshot of his device showing that WhatsApp was using the microphone while he slept. The incident drew a response from his boss, Elon Musk, who tweeted “Trust nothing, not even nothing”. However, WhatsApp denied the claim, stating that the app only accesses the microphone when a user makes a call or records a voice note or video. End-to-end encryption also means that WhatsApp cannot hear these communications.
WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption to protect the content of the messages from being read by anyone else. However, the company has faced privacy issues in the past, such as sharing some user data with its parent company Meta, including phone numbers, device information, location, and contacts.
Other messaging apps, such as Signal and Telegram, claim to offer more privacy to their users. Signal, in particular, has gained popularity due to its focus on privacy and security. It uses end-to-end encryption for all communications, and its source code is open to the public for review. Telegram also offers end-to-end encryption for secret chats, but not for regular chats.
While the claims made by the Twitter engineer have not been verified, they highlight concerns over privacy and data collection by social media and messaging apps. Users are advised to review their app settings, including microphone and camera permissions, and to consider alternative messaging apps that prioritize privacy and security.
