How private is your WhatsApp? Is your chat as secure as you think?

Dubai: WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging app, has taken the world by storm, with billions of active users worldwide. Its popularity can be traced to its ease of use, cross-platform compatibility, and emphasis on secure communication.

In a world where personal data is increasingly vulnerable, WhatsApp has distinguished itself by prioritising user privacy. The platform employs end-to-end encryption, a robust security measure that safeguards messages and calls, making them accessible only to the intended sender and recipient. This level of encryption has instilled trust among users, establishing WhatsApp as a preferred platform for both personal and professional communication.

Despite WhatsApp's assurances of data encryption and privacy protection, lingering questions remain about the app's actual security posture and the potential risks associated with its use. This section delves into WhatsApp's security features, the threats users may encounter, and practical tips for maintaining secure conversations.

WhatsApp is committed to empowering users with the tools and knowledge to manage their privacy. In line with this commitment, WhatsApp has introduced the Privacy Checkup, a new feature that provides users with a comprehensive guide to managing their privacy settings.

The Privacy Checkup feature provides a step-by-step guide through essential privacy settings, empowering you to make informed decisions about who can contact you, what personal information you share, and how your messages and calls are managed. With clear and concise explanations, you can customise your privacy settings to align with your preferences and maintain control over your digital interactions.

Who can contact you: Choose who can add you to groups, silence unknown callers, and manage blocked contacts.

What personal information you share: Decide who can view your profile photo, last seen and online status, and read receipts.

How long your messages are stored: Set a default message timer to automatically delete messages after a certain period.

Additional security measures: Enable two-step verification and fingerprint protection to further secure your account.

‘Privacy Checkup’ is a valuable tool for WhatsApp users who want to take control of their privacy and protect their personal information.

When you sign up for WhatsApp, by default your privacy settings are set to:

If you want more privacy on the app, you can change these settings at any time. Here's how to go about it:

Open the WhatsApp app>> Settings >> Privacy . Tap on the privacy setting you want to change, including ‘Last Seen, Profile Photo, About, Groups, and My Status.’

Note: Privacy settings affect what you can see from others and how they can see you. Additionally, people in a chat thread can see when you're typing.

While WhatsApp emphasises data encryption and privacy protection, concerns remain about its actual security level and potential risks. However, understanding the risks and threats associated with using WhatsApp is crucial for safeguarding your safety and privacy.

When you contact WhatsApp Support, they collect your phone number or email address, along with additional information such as device information, backup settings, and app usage logs, to help them resolve your issue.

Here's a list of additional data WhatsApp may collect to resolve your issue:

Yes, WhatsApp does share some data with Facebook and Instagram. This includes information about your phone number, profile name, and profile picture. WhatsApp also shares information about how you use the app, such as the frequency of your messages, the length of your calls, and the groups you join. However, WhatsApp does not share the content of your messages with Facebook or Instagram.

These categories may include the following:

WhatsApp takes significant measures to limit the information it shares with Meta. For instance, it safeguards your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that neither WhatsApp nor Meta can access these private messages.

WhatsApp collects and shares information about its users with its parent company, Meta, for various purposes, including safety, security, and marketing (targeted ads). While WhatsApp doesn't have access to the content of your messages, it gathers a significant amount of data about you, including your location, app usage patterns, and duration of use. If you have a Facebook account, this information can be combined with Facebook's extensive data on your interests, ad interactions, and purchasing behaviour.

In US, WhatsApp's data-sharing practices are less transparent compared to Europe. While WhatsApp shares user data with Meta's other companies in both regions, the specific information shared and the purpose of the sharing are more clearly defined in Europe. To enhance your online privacy, it's crucial to take control of your data by adjusting the privacy settings on the apps you use.

1. Check chat encryption: Although all WhatsApp chats are encrypted by default, double-checking it while sharing sensitive information is still a good idea. To verify the encryption, tap on the contact's name in the chat window and then tap on Encryption.

2. Enable two-step verification: Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your WhatsApp account by requiring you to enter a six-digit PIN in addition to your phone number when logging in from a new device. To enable two-step verification, go to Settings > Account > Two-Step Verification.

3. Review your privacy settings: WhatsApp allows you to control who can see your profile information, including your last seen status, profile picture, and about section. To adjust your privacy settings, go to Settings > Account > Privacy.

4. Turn security notifications on: With this feature, every time a new device accesses an existing chat, a new security code is generated and a notification is sent when this security code changes. To enable it, go to WhatsApp - Settings - Account - Security notifications and then tap on 'Show security notification'.

5. Limit who can add you to groups: You can choose who can add you to WhatsApp groups without your permission. This can help prevent you from being added to unwanted or spam groups. To adjust this setting, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups.

6. Be mindful of what you share: While WhatsApp encrypts your messages, it's still important to be mindful of what you share online. Avoid sharing sensitive personal information or financial details in messages.

7. Turn off your live location: The ‘Live Location’ feature allows the user to choose whether and how long they want to share their current location. Turn off live locations in chats where it is enabled if you don't want people to know where you are.

8. Restrict your status updates: For your status visibility, you can choose to share updates with everyone or specific contacts. You can choose who to exclude and hide your status from Settings > Account > Privacy > Status and select “My Contacts,” “My Contacts Except,” or “Only Share With.”

9. Beware of phishing scams: Phishing scams are attempts to trick you into revealing personal information or clicking on malicious links. Be cautious of messages that ask for your login credentials or contain suspicious links.

10. Keep your app updated: WhatsApp regularly releases updates to fix security vulnerabilities and improve privacy protections. Make sure you're always using the latest version of the app by checking the App Store or Google Play Store.

End-to-end encryption scrambles your messages so that only you and the recipient can read them. The secret key used to decode the messages is generated on your devices and is not shared with anyone else. It is also deleted from both devices once the message is read.

WhatsApp's "Verify Security Code" feature allows you to check if your chats are end-to-end encrypted. This code is unique to each chat and can be compared between devices to confirm encryption. WhatsApp cannot see the content of your end-to-end encrypted messages or listen to your calls. This is because the encryption and decryption of messages occur entirely on your devices. WhatsApp has recently upgraded its encryption to protect photos, videos, group chats, and voice calls in addition to text messages.

To verify a chat, you can compare the QR code or 60-digit number displayed in your contact info screen to the same code displayed in your contact's info screen. If the codes match, then your chat is end-to-end encrypted. If you and your contact are not physically near each other, you can send them the 60-digit number using another platform, such as SMS or email. If the codes do not match, it is possible that you are scanning the code of a different contact or a different phone number. In this case, you should refresh the code by sending your contact a new message and then scanning the code again.

Please note that if you or your contact uses WhatsApp on multiple devices, you will need to verify the security code on all of your and your contact's devices.

In the digital age, smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. We use them for communication, work, and entertainment. However, this increased reliance on smartphones also exposes us to the risk of "visual hacking."

Visual hacking is the act of stealing someone's private information by looking at their smartphone screen. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as shoulder surfing, peering over someone's shoulder, or using a camera to take a picture of their screen.

Adjust your phone settings: You can adjust your phone settings to minimise the amount of sensitive information that is displayed on the lock screen.

Be mindful of your surroundings: When using your phone in public, be aware of who is around you and be careful not to expose your personal information to prying eyes.

Use a privacy screen protector: Privacy screen protectors, in PET film or tempered glass options, limit the viewing angle of your smartphone screen, enhancing data security by ensuring exclusive access to your information.