There’s been a lot of buzz about messaging service WhatsApp this morning after security concerns were raised over Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s use of it.
WhatsApp is a free to download app for smartphones that uses the internet to send instant messages to people in a similar way to regular text messaging or imessaging.
Images and short video files can also be sent, and group chats can be set up to allow multiple people to message each other as part of the same conversation.
In February, WhatsApp reached one billion users worldwide, with its popularity quickly spreading because unlike traditional text messaging, the use of WhatsApp is free.
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Although created in the US, the app has proven more popular across Europe and South America, and is increasingly being used in African and India.
It was purchased by Facebook two years ago in a US$19 billion deal, and in August this year, the app creators that it would begin sharing data with the social media giant.
As part of WhatsApp’s new terms and privacy policy, users are told the app would “share my WhatsApp account information with Facebook to improve my Facebook ads and products experiences”.
Users can opt out of this particular term by swiping to “read” about the terms when they are prompted to accept them, and then unchecking that box.
WhatsApp’s latest privacy update also includes end-to-end encryption on all messages which is designed to ensure that only the person you send messages to can read and view them.
Source: WhatsApp
This is done by scrambling the message as it travels from the sender to the receiver’s phone, and is performed automatically for every message sent via the updated app.
Despite this feature, WhatsApp has not been approved by Australia’s cyber intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate, and does not appear on their list of .
Some of the risks associated with sending sensitive or classified information via a service such as WhatsApp include a third person having access to a smartphone if it is misplaced, and the potential for 'phishing' - in which a third party sends a file or link that when opened can compromise the safety of the information on the phone.
