Facebook’s encrypted messaging service WhatsApp isn’t as private as it claims, according to a new report.
Written By Alexandra SteigradEdited By Zach Feldman
The popular chat app, which touts its privacy features, says parent Facebook can’t read messages sent between users.
But an extensive report by ProPublica in September claims that Facebook is paying more than 1,000 contract workers around the world to read through and moderate WhatsApp messages.
What’s more, the company reportedly shares certain private data with law enforcement agencies, such as the US Department of Justice.
The revelation comes after Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly said that WhatsApp messages are not seen by the company.
Mark Zuckerberg
“We don’t see any of the content in WhatsApp,”
ProPublica report
“WhatsApp has more than 1,000 contract workers filling floors of office buildings in Austin, Texas, Dublin and Singapore, where they examine millions of pieces of users’ content.”
Facebook acknowledged that those contractors spend their days sifting through content that WhatsApp users and the service’s own algorithms flag.
The contractors often view everything from fraud and child porn to potential terrorist plotting.
WhatsApp spokeswoman
“WhatsApp provides a way for people to report spam or abuse, which includes sharing the most recent messages in a chat.”
WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart said in a recent interview that there’s no conflict of interest.
Read the full WhatsApp report by ProPublica by swipping up!