Refusing to Use WhatsApp for this reason

[dottypotter]

Someone in the family refuses to use WhatsApp and be in the family group as they don't believe it's private and safe.
I have never heard anyone give this as a reason has anyone else

We now have to text them separately etc cos they won't use it.

It's so useful to all be on the same group. Just never heard it as a reason before.

It really depends how much you care about your privacy and how much you care about supporting a company with a questionable ethics record.

Most people can't be bothered with the detail, as it's complicated and not easy to understand.

Personally (and as an IT professional involved in security) I actively avoid Android and all Meta products.

If you're all iPhone users I would suggest setting up a group on iMessage instead.

I have a friend who uses Messenger to talk to everyone. I don't have it nor want it. So we text instead. I don't think it's fair to blackmail anyone into downloading an app onto their private phone.

Yet when I gave it my one single try with it it, within the EU, it wouldn't even let me sign up without harvesting all my contacts. Something I've been able to avoid with EVERY SINGLE other social app I use, including Skype and FB itself. Thanks but no thanks.

WhatsApp is brilliant for small groups.
Due to location and other commitments my group of 5 friends really struggle to meet up. WhatsApp has brought us all much closer together.

I don't see the point for 121 conversion I'd rather do that by text or call.

Perfectly normal reaction. Signal is better.

Argh I now have a parody earworm.

Beryl? Beryl? Who the fuck is Beryl?

In a WhatsApp group, any replies would be seen by everyone and everyone's messages would be in a single place like an actual group conversation. If you sent a group text message, only the sender would receive the replies so you would end up with lots of disjointed messages to sift through. And may potentially have to then update people on what others have said.

Well whatsapp has changed hasn't it because Facebook bought it.

One of the founders left after selling to FB as he didn't agree with the changes. I thought it was common knowledge

I know a lot of people who don’t trust it, mainly the local Mums groups. They use Telegram instead, which is very similar but apparently a lot safer/more private.

Thank fuck for this thread, it reminded me to check the in law family Signal group. Because of Beryl won't use WhatsApp, they moved it (and kindly continued to include me) over there and it's the only way the family communicates. And when they communicate, they communicate a lot. So I have it muted. May as well not be on it.

You're right - to you or I, it's not that interesting. But maybe after messaging about these things, she starts to get adverts about them, and those creepy "advert emails" on gmail, and that makes her feel uncomfortable.

Scoff all you want, but some people find this intrusive. They're allowed to feel that way.

WhatsApp is owned by Meta who I wouldn’t trust with a bargepole.

it’s really not a hot take to not use it because of privacy concerns? Lots of people swerve whatsapp and use signal or telegram instead, particularly for work communications or sharing photos

I am a member of a few WhatsApp groups for local groups/information but that’s because it suits me to just lurk

why don't you get signal instead? It's much more secure and doesn't collect data on you like whatsapp does.

.......and yet you are using MN, so you must be on a laptop or PC or tablet / iPad. You can use WhatsApp on any of those.

The point is, if I am trying to arrange a family get together, for example, and I phone dc1, then dc2, dc3, nor dcs' partners nor dh are able to contribute. Plus, of course, I would have to be available at a time when they are available for phone calls. I would have to make 5 or 6 phone calls, then keep a note of all the answers, then almost be trying to draw some sort of map to find out who can do what day.
Or I can put it in the WhatsApp Group and get a consensus within 24hours, as everyone can answer when they aren't at work / driving / sleeping / socialising / in the gym / at a lecture, and they can see what everyone else has answered.

Do you work in IT security then? I do, I’ve stopped using WhatsApp along with many of my colleagues. Even the Tory party has moved to Signal (maybe not the best advert but still).

Yeah, but Beryl isn't responding to texts now because she thinks they're all phishing spam .. does anyone live near enough to Beryl to go round and post a note through her letterbox?

This kind of thing bemuses me.
I have an old smartphone. It's fine for me, I can make calls, text, take photos and email. It's cheap, the phone's paid for, it costs me about £11 a month on contract.
I can't afford a new phone, nor likely to be able to in the foreseeable future.
However. I can't get apps on it now. I used to be able to access WhatsApp, but the service was discontinued a couple of years ago by this particular manufacturer.
I'm quite glad l don't have the kind of friends who consider me a social pariah because l can't use a particular form of communication that some seem to think is the be all and end all.
We speak to each other, and use email and text.

I have a family member who works for one of the big tech companies and refuses to use their apps.

I don't doubt they are tracking everything, but unlike him, I can't imagine they're all that interested in me.

Your family member is right. Until the pandemic we weren’t allowed to have WhatsApp on our work phones for security reasons. They only relented because we couldn’t get on the vpn to use email at the beginning of lockdown 1.

They're not interested in you as a known person, but as 'subject XYZ'. They're tracking where you are, what websites you look at, how you spend time online, what you talk about etc. to build a profile that benefits their advertising platform. That data is worth a fortune and is the reason their apps are free. If you're ok with this, that's fine. But some people aren't.

As an IT professional involved in security, I say you are incredibly naïve if you think Apple products are more secure than Android, or that that Apple aren't spying on you.

Ugh, I find it so self-important when boring ordinary people get on their high horse about stuff like this! Nobody cares what they're up to! The likes of Google and Meta are welcome to my data if it means I get useful stuff like Gmail and Whatsapp free of charge.

My OH works as an it consultant for major companies and won't use WhatsApp due to security....I feel that I don't think anyone will be interested in what 'Y2 Mums' and 'Jen's 40th' have to say but I respect his views.

I would really recommend reading ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ by Shoshana Zuboff to OP and anyone else who scoffs at this

Good for them. I hate how WhatsApp has become the default way of communicating.