Moving off WhatsApp

future404 ehf is helping clients move from WhatsApp to a safer alternative based on their needs.

In the light of the ongoing changes at WhatsApp since the messaging app was purchased from Facebook back in 2014, their terms of service have been changing and will now change February 8th, 2021 to the point where we do not recommend its use any more than we recommend the use of Facebook’s messenger app. This new change to terms of service will enable the app to share information from its users with the parent company Facebook. We are worried to see this change in terms, which include the following information being shared with Facebook; * User phone numbers * Other people’s phone numbers stored in address books * Profile names * Profile pictures and * Status message including when a user was last online * Diagnostic data collected from app logs Under the new terms, Facebook reserves the right to share collected data with its family of companies. – Schneier Blog (https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/01/changes-in-whatsapps-privacy-policy.html) This change further weakens WhatsApp’s previous commitment to the privacy of its users and thus we are helping our clients migrate off the platform. Without a risk assessment it is not possible for future404 to make a clear one-size-fits-all recommendation, however we find that in many cases the Signal secure messaging app will address the needs of many as they move off WhatsApp.