Outraged by WhatsApp’s privacy update, Viber’s CEO calls on users to seek alternatives

Saturday, 16 January 2021 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Rakuten Viber, one of the world’s leading apps for free and easy communication, expresses outrage over WhatsApp’s latest privacy update. While in the past WhatsApp users could opt-out of the app sharing their number with Facebook, going forward, it will be mandatory. Users must agree to the new terms within 30 days, or they won’t be able to use their accounts.

To understand the slippery slope WhatsApp users are in, we suggest going back to WhatsApp Co-Founder Brian Acton’s interview with Parmy Olsen for Forbes in 2018. There he discusses the reasoning behind his departure and his tweet in which he advised people to delete their Facebook: “I sold my users’ privacy to a larger benefit. I made a choice and a compromise. And I live with that every day.”

With its latest update, WhatsApp completed its assimilation into Facebook. As Facebook and Whatsapp become one, the messaging app’s users are being monetised to a larger extent than before, and this should be alarming for those seeking private messaging.

Up until the 4 January update, WhatsApp’s terms of agreement stated the following:

“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA. Since we started WhatsApp, we’ve aspired to build our Services with a set of strong privacy principles in mind.”
“However, your WhatsApp messages will not be shared on Facebook for others to see. In fact, Facebook will not use your WhatsApp messages for any purpose other than to assist us in operating and providing our Services.”

Not surprisingly, these two statements have been removed.

In stark contrast with WhatsApp’s slippery slope on data privacy, Viber has led by example, implementing core features to ensure user data is safe and secure. Those features include:

End-to-end encryption by default for free personal calls and chats, no special settings required. It’s clear and simple: No one can access your calls and chats except the participants, not even Viber.
Delivered messages are not stored by Viber and Cloud backup is off by default: Users that would like to back up their chats can choose to activate cloud backup, but Viber doesn’t keep any copy of users’ messages and calls.
Screen privacy: Viber offers top-notch screen privacy, allowing users to send self-destructing messages within a chat and entire chats can be hidden and only visible using a pin code.
No user data is shared with Facebook: Viber has cut all business ties with Facebook. No user information (users’ phone numbers and personal data) is or will be, shared with Facebook at all.

“The recent outrageous update in WhatsApp’s privacy policy reduces the term ‘privacy’ to a laughing stock. The update not only demonstrates how meaningless user privacy is to WhatsApp, but it seems like a new record in disrespecting users, a record it will no doubt keep breaking in the future. Today, I’m prouder than ever in Viber’s privacy policy, calling all men and women who see themselves as more than just data to be sold to the highest bidder, to move their messaging and calls to Viber,” said Rakuten Viber CEO Djamel Agaoua.