this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

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[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 50 points 1 month ago (2 children)

"WhatsApp doesn't collect your data!"

(because everything else they own does)

[–] Stomata@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

Who you contact, when, how, from where is bing collected

[–] racoon@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago

WhatsApp doesn’t collect your data, because it’s an app. Zuckerberg does it

[–] Goldmaster@lemmy.ml 35 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So the whole security and privacy claims are purely marketing.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 19 points 1 month ago

Yes, but so are the ads!

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 1 month ago

What? The communications app owned by Facebook is using data from other Facebook owned platforms to target ads? Who could have ever seen this coming!

[–] arch@feddit.nl 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It’s unfortunately hard to convert people from WhatsApp to other software, because contacts might care to move but the group will not…

[–] Droggelbecher@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I've had 2 or more messenging apps for about a decade now because of this.

[–] SW42@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I wonder from where they get the data if I don’t have Facebook or Instagram. WhatsApp is a shitty app that I begrudgingly use because of the parents groups and some relatives that I didn’t manage to make switch to signal.

[–] EveningPancakes@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Facebook absolutely builds ghost profiles for people who don't have a Facebook profile. You see all of those "Like" buttons on non-Facebook websites? Those are cookies that are essentially tracking you. They may not have your first/last name or other personal data as a regular profile, but they can build a pretty damn good composite of you. Source - I work in the ad industry

[–] SW42@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah I thought it would be something like that… feels shady af

[–] stevedice@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 month ago

WhatsApp links you to a social circle and Meta has all of the information of said social circle.

I don't need to know you like soccer if I know 10 people who have a soccer team and you're on all of their contact lists.

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

Time to switch to a different client.

Check out Signal; it works very well.

[–] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The next time you wonder, "wow. How can they provide this amazing service for free?" always remember: YOU are the product.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Amazing? Whatscrap? I think there are way better services out there for free as this Zuckerbot trash.

[–] racoon@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

That’s inane and misleading. FOSS is free and amazing. You are not the product.

Mosern cars are filthy. They cost a shitload a money and you’re the product anyway.

“If it’s a service provided by a company whose business model involves selling personalised apps, you are probably the product

[–] rollerbang@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

What happened to them not being allowed to bridge data? Or is this not the case in EU?

[–] AmanitaCaesarea@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 month ago

Signal, Telegram, SimpleX.

Spin the wheel ladies and gentlemen!

[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Haaaa noyb… never a dull moment with them.

[–] lemming@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is there, by any chance, an alternative client?

[–] monovergent@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

There's the Whatsapp web client on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.kuenzler.whatsappwebtogo/

But it still requires the official mobile app for the initial login. When I used it, logging in once seemed to be good for a few months, as long you open it from time to time. There's also a Whatsapp clone that seems to support login, but I haven't tried it and it hasn't seen updates in a couple years: https://github.com/KhubaibKhan4/Whatsify-Android

[–] lemming@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Thanks. It seems to be just whatsapp web in an app form, so I could probaby just go to my browser. But that's still an interesting idea that never ocurred to me on phone.

[–] notarobot@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Tbh. This took waaay longer than i expected. They bought it con 2014. I didn't even know a company was capable of holding its enshitification tendencies that long

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Normies got nothing to hide and they dont mind ads.

[–] autonomoususer@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

So, stop saying privacy. Say control, scam and abuse.

[–] yournamehere@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Normies got nothing to say and have no mind.

[–] DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

you can still hide your messages with gpg the green in the logo may be glowing brighter then ever and if you cant move from it atleast use gpg