2023-05-09 20:51:19
He is the most powerful tech boss in the world – and raises the alarm: Tesla boss Elon Musk (51) warns of the popular Messenger WhatsApp.
On the short message service Twitter, which he took over wrote Musk on Tuesday evening: “You can’t trust WhatsApp!” The warning hit like a bomb, reaching 21 million people within two hours.
Musk shared the post of a Twitter employee. He had made it public that WhatsApp allegedly used the microphone on his cell phone while he was sleeping. The suspicion: does the messenger secretly listen in even when you are not using your smartphone at all?
The Twitter employee showed a screenshot that is supposed to prove the alleged wiretapping scandal. You can see several entries, each of which should stand for a microphone use by WhatsApp. Most probably occurred between 4 and 6 in the morning, when the employee claims to have been asleep.
Musk reacted to the alleged wiretapping protocol with this tweet
Is WhatsApp really listening?
︎ When asked by BILD, a spokesman for the Facebook group Meta referred to one Tweetwhich WhatsApp published on Tuesday evening.
It said: “In the last 24 hours we have been in contact with a Twitter engineer who has reported an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp. We believe this is a bug in Android that is misattributing information in the Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and fix the issue.”
WhatsApp access the microphone only when a user is making a call or recording a voice memo or video. “And even then, this communication is protected by end-to-end encryption, so WhatsApp cannot hear it,” the company said.
The clear message: No, we are NOT listening!
Can you imagine deleting WhatsApp? App users can access the survey here.
WhatsApp founder is with the competition
Musk went even further in his criticism, writing: “The WhatsApp founders left Meta/Facebook in disgust, launched the #deletefacebook campaign and were instrumental in building Signal.”
In fact, WhatsApp founder Brian Acton (51) tweeted five years ago: “It’s time. #deletefacebook.” In 2014, he sold Messenger to Facebook for $22 billion.
To the „Forbes“magazine he then said: “I have sold the privacy of my users (…). I made a decision and made a compromise. And I have to live with that every day.”
WhatsApp founder Brian Acton (51, archive photo)
Acton subsequently set up a foundation from which the Messenger-App Signal emerged. It works the same as WhatsApp at its core, but puts a big focus on privacy. Signal is funded by donations rather than advertising. Musk has also donated millions and called for people to switch to Signal.
But the fact is: The tech billionaire wants it Develop Twitter into an EVERYTHING app, modeled on the Chinese super app WeChat. In this respect, Musk is in a way in competition with WhatsApp …
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