Benzinga - Meta Platforms Inc‘s (NASDAQ:META) instant messaging app, WhatsApp, faced some backlash after Elon Musk stated that the service “cannot be trusted.”
What Happened: Foad Dabiri, a Twitter engineer, alleged that WhatsApp was spying on him through his phone’s microphone. During the weekend, he shared a screenshot and alleged that WhatsApp has been using his phone’s microphone even when it was not being used.
However, the matter escalated when Musk tweeted Dabiri’s post on Tuesday, stating, “WhatsApp cannot be trusted.”
WhatsApp cannot be trusted https://t.co/3gdNxZOLLy— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
Almost an hour later, WhatsApp’s official Twitter handle responded to Dabiri’s original complaint saying that they have been in touch with the complainant and “believe this is a bug on Android that misattributes information in their Privacy Dashboard.”
The instant messaging platform further stated that it has asked Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), which develops the Android operating system, to “investigate and remediate.”
WhatsApp said its users have complete mic controls and the app only accesses it when they make calls, voice notes, or videos, which are protected by end-to-end encryption.
Users have full control over their mic settingsOnce 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 (@WhatsApp) May 9, 2023
Why It’s Important: This isn’t the first time WhatsApp has been accused of privacy violations.
In October last year, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that he deleted Meta’s app from his device “years ago” because it has been a “surveillance tool for 13 years.”
“WhatsApp founders left Meta/Facebook in disgust, started #deletefacebook campaign & made major contributions to building Signal. What they learned about Facebook & changes to WhatsApp obviously disturbed them greatly,” Musk added in a tweet.
In January 2021, downloads of Signal and Telegram surged after WhatsApp’s new privacy policy triggered fears about sensitive profile information sharing with Facebook.
The co-founder of Signal, Brain Acton, was one of the co-founders of WhatsApp who left the company after it was taken over by Facebook in 2014.
Musk's advocacy for Signal also buoyed downloads, and later he disclosed that he had donated money to the development of the product.
Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have also been at loggerheads. Earlier this year, Musk mocked Zuckerberg for considering launching a Twitter rival.
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