Whatsapp

[Curley]

The great WhatsApp Privacy Grab!!!

The news that Face book was buying WhatsApp for a staggering 19 billion dollars prompted me to find out what all the fuss was about, as this old dodderer had barely heard of WhatsApp prior to this massive take-over.

What on earth was I missing out on?

Oh, I see, it’s a free messenger service….

Don’t I already have that on Skype?

Oh, I see, it has 450 million users and 1 million more signing up every day.

It must be worth looking into….

Hmm… can’t install it on my PC without some kind of massive conversion programme, as it is android/smart phone-based…

That’s a bummer…. but never mind let’s see how it works on my Samsung  smart phone…

Go to ‘search’ on Play Store, type in: Whatsapp – ah, there it is, click ‘install’

Up comes the ‘standard crap’ that I have to agree to, and then click accept before the download can start…

Wait a goddamn second!

This is a bit more than just ‘Standard Crap’….

WTF is all this? ?????

Below, folks, according to Samsung, is the list of ‘permissions’ you would be giving to WhatsApp if you agree to have the WhatsApp Messenger installed on your phone.

Note – you cannot accept some and decline others…. It is all or nothing…

Your Messages

Receive text messages (SMS)

Allows the app to receive and process SMS messages. This means that the app could monitor or delete messages sent to your device without showing them to you.

Send SMS messages

Allows the app to send SMS messages. This may result in unexpected charges. Malicious apps may cost you money by sending messages without your confirmation
Storage

Modify or delete the contents of your SD card

Allows the app to write to the SD card.
Your location

Approximate location (network based)

Allows the app to get your approximate location. This location is derived by location services using network location sources such as mobile towers and Wi-Fi. These location services must be turned on and available to your device for the app to use them. Apps may use this to determine approximately where you are.

Precise  location (GPS & network-based) 

Allows the app to get your precise location using Global Positioning System (GPS) or network location sources, such as mobile towers and Wi-Fi. These location services must be turned on and available to your device for the app to use them. Apps may use this to determine where you are and may consume additional battery power.
Microphone

Record audio

Allows the app to record audio with the microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation.
Camera

Take picture and videos.

Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.
Your applications information

Retrieve running apps

Allow the app to retrieve information about currently and recently running tasks. This may allow the app to discover information about which application s are used on the device.

Your personal information

Read your own contact card

Allows the app to read personal profile information on your device, such as your name and contact information. This means the app can identify you and may send your profile information to others.
Your accounts

Add or remove accounts

Allows the app to perform operations like adding and removing accounts and deleting their password.

Create accounts and set passwords.

Allows the app to use the account authenticator capabilities of the Account Manager, including creating account and getting and setting their passwords.

Use accounts on the device

Allows the app to request authentication tokens.
Network communication

Connect t and disconnect from Wi-Fi

Allows the app to connect to and disconnect from Wi-Fi access points and to make changes to device configuration for Wi-Fi networks.

Full Network access.

Allows the app to create network sockets and use customised network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
Phone Calls

Directly call phone numbers

Allows the app to call phone numbers without your intervention. This may result in unexpected charges or calls. Note that this doesn’t allow the app to call emergency numbers. Malicious apps may cost you money by making calls without your confirmation.

Read phone status and identity

Allows the app to access the phone features of this device. This permission allows the app to determine the phone number and device ID’s, whether a call is active and the remote number connected by a call.
Your social information

Modify you contacts

Allows the app to modify the data about your contacts stored on your phone, including the frequency with which you’ve called, emailed or communicated in other ways with specific contacts. This permission allows apps to delete contact data.

Read your contacts

Allows the app to read data about your contacts stored on your phone, including the frequency with which you’ve called, emailed or communicated in other ways with specific individuals. This permission allows apps to save your contact data, and malicious apps may share your contact data without your knowledge.
Sync Settings

Read sync settings

Allows the app to read the sync settings for an account. For example, this can determine whether the app is synced with an account.

Read the sync statistics

Allows the app to read the sync stats for an account, including the history of sync events and how much data is synced.

Toggle sync on and off

Allows an app to modify the sync settings for an account. For example, this can be used to enable syncing of the people app with an account.
System Tools

Install shortcuts

Allows an application to add shortcuts without user intervention

Modify system settings

Allows the app to modify the system’s settings data. Malicious apps may corrupt your system’s configuration.

Test access to protected storage.

Allows the app to test a permission for the SD card that will be available for future devices.

Uninstall shortcuts

Allows an application to remove shortcuts without user intervention.
Affects Battery

Control vibration.

Allows the app to control the vibrator.

Prevent phone from sleeping

Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
Applications information

Run at start-up

Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
Network Communication

Google Play billing service

Allows the user to purchase items through Google Play from within this app.

Receive data from the internet

Allows apps to accept cloud-to-device messages sent by the app’s service. Using this service will incur data usage. Malicious apps could cause excess data usage.

View Wi-Fi connections

Allows the app to view information about WI-FI networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.

View network connections

Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exists and are connected.
Your Accounts

Find accounts on the device

Allows the app to get the list of accounts known by the phone. This may include any accounts created by applications that you have installed.

Read Google service configuration

Allows this app to read Google service configuration data.

Accept??????
In other words…
this innocent little application that will allow you to send and receive free messages over the internet, (a service which has already been provided by Skype for many years), will…
completely take over your phone and will be able to make and receive calls, send and receive messages; access all of your – and your contacts - personal details, (and change and delete them without your permission); take pictures on your phone camera; record conversations from your phone microphone; track and record your precise location; turn your phone off and on; connect and disconnect you from your Wi-Fi or other network connections as well as retaining details of them; drain your phone battery by its nefarious activities … and on….and on…. ad infinitum…

OK we all feel a little uncomfortable about the privacy hacking that was exposed by Edward Snowden, but isn’t this privacy grab by companies such as WhatsApp taking invasion of our privacy to a whole new level?

This really is “1984” gone crazy.

450 million++ people have voluntarily become ensnared, with an additional 1 million a day falling over themselves to sign up.

And how many hundreds of millions from Facebook will now follow their fellow sheep? Or will they be automatically signed up by virtue of their existing Facebook membership?

It sort of puts the ‘Data collection’ activities of the  NSA and GCHQ  into the shade… doesn’t it?

 

The personal data of you and your friends  is worth $19,000,000,000  and rising!

[Thomas]

Accordning to several sourses Mark Zuckerberg scammed his partners, among them one of his friends  :1 (72):  when he started Facebook, so I surely don't trust Facebook... 

 

I were "forced" by some friends to start a Facebook acount, but I tell very litle there usable for Facebook, registrered an email, which I get my junkmails to anyway, and I have even spelled my name wrong... :mocking: 

[Malcolm Graham]

All that you wrote is standard for all google apps that you install on your smart phone. Even Google maps has access to all you have written there.  When will people realize free is not really free

[sunrise7bi]

i hope you realize that all of these permissions are required for the app to even function.  for example, it reads your sms messages because the app needs to verify your phone number.  it needs microphone access because you can send voice notes. etc.

 

if any of these programs breaks any privacy laws, i'm sure there would be a huge uproar. i'm sure it is safe to use without people snooping on your activities.

[Thomas]

if any of these programs breaks any privacy laws, i'm sure there would be a huge uproar.

How can you be sure of that?   :)   The digital world is full of spyprograms, google checking which websites we visit, American Echelon checking "everything" even the emails of the German prime minister!!!  :bash:     I suppouse Echelon will check this extra because I wrote "Echelon"  :mocking: