Is WhatsApp Listening to You? Is it Bug or Feature?
The Question is Arise in Social Media Now.
This week a user Twitter engineer shared a WhatsApp screenshot, and he claimed that WhatsApp accesses a microphone even if you are sleeping.
A Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri tweeted, “WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6AM (and that’s just a part of the timeline!) What’s going on?”
In reply, Twitter Chief Elon Musk replied and said. “WhatsApp cannot be trusted.”
WhatsApp replied to the thread,
“Over the last 24 hours, we’ve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp.
We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate.”
1 Question Always Arises
WhatsApp says it’s encrypted, but when you talk about any product, Facebook immediately shows the same keywords Ads to you. So in this AI world, there is no PRIVACY.
Users have complete 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 added.
WhatsApp Scam Calls in INDIA
Indian Government Said, It’s Unacceptable. Will send a notice to the WhatsApp office over Spam calls and messages.
WhatsApp users have reported that they received calls from unknown international numbers. These may include numbers from Ethiopia (+251), Indonesia (+62), Kenya (+254), Malaysia (+60), Vietnam (+84), and several other countries. Many users have reported this issue on twitter.
Union Minister of Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said,
“This is an unacceptable breach n violation of #Privacy.
We will be examining this immediately and will act on any violation of privacy even as new Digital Personal Data Protection bill #DPDP is being readied.” Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a tweet.
WhatsApp Responds
“We have ramped up our AI & ML systems… Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50 percent, and we expect to be able to control the current incidence effectively. We will continue to work relentlessly towards ensuring a safe experience for our users. “the Facebook Meta-owned company said in a statement.
“We believe this is a bug on Android, Google has said they are looking into it. Your calls and voice notes are protected by end-to-end encryption so we cannot hear the microphone in any case. We’re aligned on safeguarding privacy,” said Shivnath Thukral, the director of public policy at Meta INDIA.
“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,” the company had said in another tweet.
How To Protect From WhatsApp Scam Calls?
- Do not pick calls from unknown numbers.
- Do not click on an unknown link. It could be redirected to a malicious web page.
- Do not give personal information like name, address, or credit or debit card information.
- Immediate report to WhatsApp as Spam. Go to Settings menu – Select Account – Privacy – Calls – Report Spam.
WhatsApp Microphone Permission
For microphone permissions, you need to set as follow rule:
- Only Allows while using the app: The app can use permission only when using WhatsApp.
- Ask every time Feature: When you open the app, it will ask you to use the permission.
- Don’t allow: The app cannot use the setting, even when you’re using the app.
Our Suggestion To WhatsApp
If WhatsApp should allow calls from only saved contacts. It helps to protect agains SPAM or SCAMMED.
Also read – Twitter Fixes Bug That Exposed 5.4 Million User Accounts
