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WhatsApp Encryption: A Giant Fraud?
14 Apr
Summary
- 95% of private WhatsApp messages lack encryption in backups.
- Cloud backups are accessible to Apple, Google, and third parties.
- WhatsApp denies claims, stating its encryption has been robust for a decade.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has publicly accused WhatsApp of engaging in a 'giant consumer fraud' regarding its encryption claims. Durov asserted that a substantial 95% of private WhatsApp messages are stored as unencrypted plain-text backups on Apple and Google servers. He highlighted that backup encryption is an optional feature, and few users enable it, let alone use strong passwords for protection.
Durov further contended that even individual users who secure their backups may still face privacy risks, as their conversations could be exposed if their contacts do not implement similar security measures. He alleged that Apple and Google frequently provide these backed-up messages to third parties. In contrast, Telegram has reportedly never disclosed any user message data in its 12-year history.
WhatsApp has strongly refuted these allegations, describing them as 'false and absurd.' The company maintains that its messaging has been end-to-end encrypted using the Signal protocol for the past decade, ensuring that only senders and recipients can read the messages. This public dispute follows similar criticisms from Elon Musk, who also questioned WhatsApp's trustworthiness and promoted X Chat for enhanced privacy.
