WhatsApp New Terms of Service (Jan/Feb 2021)
- Thread starter 2hats
- Start date
savoloysam
Ready to move into the light
Tried telegram, none of my friends are on there. Tried Signal, didnt like it although others are raving about it.
Back to SMS then unless I need encryption.
Back to SMS then unless I need encryption.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
When it comes down to it, SMS and email are the only common protocols left. If you have a phone you can get SMS. If you have a phone or a computer you can get email. Neither of them will ever be shut down and neither rely on one specific provider.
The net used to have many protocols like this but everyone went onto Facebook.
The net used to have many protocols like this but everyone went onto Facebook.
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
Yeah, it's like the facebook dilemma, switching to another channel only works if everyone, or at least a substantial number of people, do. I deleted WhatsApp for a good long time because it felt redundant and got by alright without it, then re-downloaded it this spring because it was the main communication channel for my neighbourhood mutual aid group. I don't have the energy to try and persuade 80-odd of my neighbours that they should all download Signal, so if I want to stay in communication with them I'm stuck with it for the time being.
magneze
🎧
This is what Facebook is counting on. Since there's not a real choice, their change in terms is simply not ethical. It's so coercive, is it even legal?
To me it looks like they desperately trying to integrate their services before anti trust legislators force them to break up. Then they can slow roll it because they all have to be untied again.
It's despicable.
To me it looks like they desperately trying to integrate their services before anti trust legislators force them to break up. Then they can slow roll it because they all have to be untied again.
It's despicable.
my local greasy spoon doesn't seem to have any.
I did warn them
surely a message or two to the group, bit of background, and a link for signal. should see the job done. Don't be so defeatist
the comeback any 5 year old would be desperate to make. That and 'why?'
cybershot
Well-Known Member
I’ve got absolutely no chance of switching all contacts over to signal. I do use it for what people are on it but for example no chance I’d coax some people off because they are too invested in their ‘fam group chat’ in WhatsApp and ‘why do I need another messaging app’ ‘mum ain’t gonna move’ and there’s your dilemma and Facebook know it. Grab you by the balls tactics.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Signal is open source, both client and server side.
muscovyduck
Good IT skills and food hygiene competent
I only downloaded WhatsApp once or twice when necessary and then immediately deleted it because it's really really bad if you're personally at risk in some way. Or at least it was back in the day. It meant a mobile phone number suddenly had all this extra info about you attached to it. I've downloaded Signal now although presumably it has a similar issue
My partner and I will often turn on the shared location feature when meeting in a park or something. Lots of other things like camera and mic enabled for photos/voicenotes etc. I'll turn them on as required.
It's funny you should say that - it was one of my immediate feelings on it and I never put my full name or photo on as a result. Only this week I was sent an article about how to use WhatsApp and Facebook as a tool to find details about someone from just a phone number. In that context it is creepy.
ska invita
back on the other side
Except it fails to do alerts for me... Lots of people have the same issue with it. A bizarre basic fault that renders it useless
teuchter
je suis teuchter
How does that stop it from being attractive to buy out? Isn't it the user base that's attractive, rather than the application itself?
ska invita
back on the other side
GDPR is within the EU, is that right?
Has the UK diverged from that already since Brexit?
Gromit
International Man of Misery
Messaging platforms come and go. Even though they are all practically the same wolf in different sheep’s clothing.
They build up large user bases.
Cost the company lots of money to run.
Get heralded as worth lots of $$$
Someone attempts to monitise the traffic.
Most everyone leaves trumpeting [insert new platform] as better (does exactly the same things).
New platform takes over.
Repeat.
If Facebook can make a bit of money through WhatsApp by using it to make Facebook revenue increase then I’m for it (if it keeps it going). It’s only advert suggestible idiots who are really affected. Not me.
They build up large user bases.
Cost the company lots of money to run.
Get heralded as worth lots of $$$
Someone attempts to monitise the traffic.
Most everyone leaves trumpeting [insert new platform] as better (does exactly the same things).
New platform takes over.
Repeat.
If Facebook can make a bit of money through WhatsApp by using it to make Facebook revenue increase then I’m for it (if it keeps it going). It’s only advert suggestible idiots who are really affected. Not me.
That's what everyone thinks
And to add to that with the huge amount of microtargeted political advertising on there these days, the susceptibility of even a small portion of the populace to advertising has big ramifications to us all.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
The company is wholly owned by a nonprofit foundation run and supported by crypto/privacy/press freedom types and organisations. It's specifically designed not to be able to be bought out by big tech companies. While obviously nothing is ever entirely safe, it's pretty much as safe as you're going to get these days.
Gromit
International Man of Misery
Those ads only supplement the real tool.That's what everyone thinks
And to add to that with the huge amount of microtargeted political advertising on there these days, the susceptibility of even a small portion of the populace to advertising has big ramifications to us all.
Fake profiles that start fake news and memes.
This Muslim was a terrorist but he took a British job whilst claiming benefits and a 8 bedroom mansion for his 27 family members and Jeremy Corbin just lets this happen!!!
[picture of Bollywood movie star taken from a film].
cybershot
Well-Known Member
I find after it updates itself, unless you manually open it then you're right. So you have to remember everytime it updates to open it. For me on iPhone this isn't too much a problem as I don't let apps auto update, but for those that do then it could easily become a problem if it's nested away in a app group and you don't easily spot the blue circle to know it's been updated recently.
I was a bit fatalistic about not being able to switch everyone over but I suppose these days I have a phone with plenty of space and the battery/data overhead from running a couple of messaging apps shouldn't be a problem so I think I'll run signal or telegram as well and slowly try and transition. If that reduces even a little the data that zuck has then it's a slight incremental improvement at least.
bimble
floofy
I’m confused, not clear what is alarming people. Is it the case that everyone who is wanting to leave WhatsApp over this has already not got a Facebook account?
(I’ve not had fb for years but would be a pain in the arse to try to ditch WhatsApp now).
In idiot-proof terms what is the worry with the new t & cs please?
WhatsApp has been pretty world changing, it’s absolutely massive globally, especially where paying for your texts and calls is just not going to be an option after everyone has had this ap for years.
(I’ve not had fb for years but would be a pain in the arse to try to ditch WhatsApp now).
In idiot-proof terms what is the worry with the new t & cs please?
WhatsApp has been pretty world changing, it’s absolutely massive globally, especially where paying for your texts and calls is just not going to be an option after everyone has had this ap for years.
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magneze
🎧
This makes a lot of sense and I've been running both Signal and WhatsApp like this for a while now. Signal can also be your SMS app (on Android at least) which means it isn't even "extra".
It's not even inconvenient in the slightest.
bimble It's just a bit of a piss take as much as anything else really. For me personally the issue is that I have a pretty much bare facebook account, fake name, not linked to my regular email address and I have their tracking pixel blocked so they can't easily track my progress around the internet (visiting facebook.com is only a part of their monitoring efforts).
Whatsapp on the other hand will report back my phones details (and it's harder to block advertising / tracking pixels from mobile) and most importantly link my mobile contacts list which gives a much more comprehensive of who I am and who I interact with.
It's not like the world will fall in over this but it's another step forward for Facebook and makes their reach and understanding much more complete. And they've shown they're not at all trustworthy or a force for good. They are bulldozering this through at a time when people are really relying on it and don't always have a choice in using the service.
Whatsapp on the other hand will report back my phones details (and it's harder to block advertising / tracking pixels from mobile) and most importantly link my mobile contacts list which gives a much more comprehensive of who I am and who I interact with.
It's not like the world will fall in over this but it's another step forward for Facebook and makes their reach and understanding much more complete. And they've shown they're not at all trustworthy or a force for good. They are bulldozering this through at a time when people are really relying on it and don't always have a choice in using the service.
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