Some days ago, Whatsapp updated its Android
application with improved privacy settings that gives you control over who can
see your “last seen, profile photo and status update.”
Cool right, Yeah, I agree with you but
guess what guys, it isn’t so cool though. A loop hole has been found in this
update all thanks to Bas Bosschert an IT consultant. I guess some of us know that
Whatsapp chat history is usually saved on the memory card and if you do not, I
guess you’ve added a few knowledge to that you’ve got before. Bosschert noted
that for those of us *like me* who do not pay attention to the app permissions before installing them from the play store, we are at a
great risk.
Developers can easily ask users for permission
to access the storage contents and upload the chat history file to their own
servers putting the user’s privacy at risk.
People would only see a loading screen when
they start the game”. Bosschert said in an email to Business Insider. “They
wouldn’t notice that their Whatsapp database has been uploaded.”
Not too long ago, Whatsapp was acquired by
Facebook for a whopping 19 billion US Dollars, and privacy concerns of the
users might have increased since then, as what the company does with the app
Facebook, on the other hand, has been under same scenario with users concerned
about their privacy and information they save on the social networking
websites.
Well, users can take precautions, and make
sure to check the permissions required by the app before installing them. Let’s
hope Whatsapp will comment on this issue as well.
*No wonder the rate of usage reduced
shortly after the acquisition notably in Germany because of privacy issues.*
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