Meeting Focus

I’m sure many of us have received the pop up from WhatsApp requesting us to agree to their new terms and conditions, and quite possibly many of us have ticked ‘I agree’ and continued on. Let’s face it, that’s the norm, right? We download or update an app, we see the incredibly long t’s and c’s and scroll quickly down to agree to them. I can safely say this happens because I do it all the time! But here’s the thing, the world, and technology and their interlink are rapidly changing and we’ve got to be aware or we’ll fall victim to it. I feel the new WhatsApp t’s and c’s are the perfect way to start and create some awareness.

If you don’t read it then at least skim through and pay attention to the headings. By doing so with the new WhatsApp t’s and c’s you’ll notice a few differences compared to the previous version.

“The entire thing is quite subjective, depending on what your stance is, if you feel comfortable to share your information, whether or not terms and conditions are updated regularly, that’s entirely up to you. My discomfort with the situation is when I opened TikTokand saw one of my social media posts on a fake account, these are the kinds of experiences we can no longer find triggering? So what could someone do with your details, don’t just think about telemarketing and businesses.” Says Muhammad Fakier.

In a nutshell, WhatsApp collects and shares your location, so they’ll always know where you are. They collect and have access to your profile picture, cell number, and even your contact list. If you have a WhatsApp group they can access it and even its description so they’ll know your interests. They’ll even know which phone you have, your IP address and your battery level. They collect all this and more and have the right to share it with Facebook who then collects all of this and uses it for marketing and who else knows what.

If you’re okay with WhatsApp and subsequently Facebook knowing all this information about you and those around you then all good and well. This article isn’t meant to make you anti-WhatsApp but rather make you aware of their changes. There will be those that feel differently and that WhatsApp knowing all of this about us creates feelings of anxiety and uneasiness. If this is you then you share the same feeling as Tesla CEO and recently crowned richest man in the world, Elon Musk.

For those feeling like Elon Musk, not to worry as there are alternatives. Many people have begun using Telegram and Signal. Telegram is similar to WhatsApp and also has a private message feature making those messages hidden from Telegram servers. Signal is an Elon-Musk-approved messaging app with one of the best encryptions among instant messaging apps. If you’re part of the iPhone clan then iMessage is at your fingertips as well.

By Tanwir Abdullah

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