Posted on 02/26/2019 5:41:38 AM PST by vannrox
In the past six months, many have been rudely awakened by the lack of privacy within the behemoth data platforms of Facebook and Google. A recent report by Pew Research Center found that a majority of Americans are significantly changing their relationship with Facebook, with about half taking breaks from the platform in one way or another.
But as Facebook usage wanes, messaging apps like WhatsApp are growing in popularity as a "more private (and less confrontational) space to communicate." That shift didn't make much sense to us because both services are owned by the same company, so we tried to find an explanation. It turns out that a striking percentage of American adults actually don't know that Facebook owns WhatsApp. 😱
We randomly selected 1,297 random U.S. adults (not just DuckDuckGo users) who are collectively demographically similar to the general population of U.S. adults (see methodology below) and surveyed them on August 16th, 2018. Half of those who used WhatsApp in the past six months (247 U.S. adults) weren't aware that Facebook owns WhatsApp.
And it doesn't stop there. We also found that nearly 60 percent of those who used Waze in the past six months (291 U.S. adults) didn't know that Google owns Waze. 🚨
This means that a majority of Americans who are using WhatsApp and/or Waze are doing so without realizing that all of their information, whether it be routes, travel time, messages, photos, or location data, is privy to Facebook (for WhatsApp) and Google (for Waze).
As Waze states in its privacy policy:
Waze may also share personal information with companies or organizations connected or affiliated with Waze, such as subsidiaries, sister-companies and parent companies (i.e. entities that belong to the Google group of companies).
If that's not creepy enough, the social component of the Waze app means that the app is also able to collect information like your voice recordings, chats you have with friends within the app, and contacts within your cell phone.
And as was recently made clear when WhatsApp's original co-founder left the company this past April, the threat Facebook poses to WhatsApp user privacy is significant.
The lack of awareness over Facebook and Google's reach is even more alarming as more and more Americans are looking to take control of their privacy online, but don't have the information to make conscientious choices. It misleads people into believing they can avoid the treacherous waters of Google and Facebook privacy practices by standing in a smaller stream like Waze or WhatsApp, without knowing each directly flows into the very same oceans they attempted to escape.
This new survey is similar to our April 2018 findings that found that 56.90% (± 2.86%) of American adults were unaware that Facebook owns Instagram and 44.67% (± 2.87%) did not know that Google owns YouTube.
These results are based on the polling of a random sample of 1,297 American adults (18+) on August 16th, 2018 via SurveyMonkey's Audience platform, which ensures the demographic make-up of respondents is representative of the U.S. population. Survey respondents were paid and a confidence level of 95% was used for calculating the values above.
Absolutely right. I had no idea of these ownerships, although I’m not surprised. The social media monopolies are extremely dangerous.
The truth is there is no privacy online. None. Not even with browsers that claim to provide private, untracked internet usage.
Somebody was just on here last week telling everyone to get WhatsApp and how great it is.
It really is time to break this thing up before it’s too late.
There is a security hole in WhatsApp so its really NOT peer to peer secure.
FB can intercept communications.
It was designed that way.
Protonmail is really the only true secure way of communication right now.
People are pretty lax when it comes to their privacy but then are amazed when they say out loud “how did Facebook know I was just on Amazon looking at jeans!?” They don’t bother to understand how this works....another big red flag is Zoom Conferencing that is taking off in the enterprise - the small print on their enterprise licensing agreements states that they record and store every single video conference that takes place on their platform. That should scare the heck out of every company who thinks they are getting a cost effective conferencing solution.
It was designed that way.
You Give Apps Sensitive Personal Information. Then They Tell Facebook.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-give-apps-sensitive-personal-information-then-they-tell-facebook-11550851636
Flo Health Inc.’s Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, which claims 25 million active users, told Facebook when a user was having her period or informed the app of an intention to get pregnant, the tests showed...
Now Ms. Berg said she may delete the app. “I think it’s incredibly dishonest of them that they’re just lying to their users especially when it comes to something so sensitive,” she said.
...Software development kits—or SDKs—are common inside of apps, and Facebook’s are among the most widely distributed. Any information shared with an app may also be shared with the maker of the SDK, many of which collect data on users.
Oh no, not Facebook!
Some lowly dev that done the deed.
FB pure like fresh snow.
I’ve been looking at a writing program...750words...it incentivizes you to write...but then I read the owner keeps tabs via some algorithm of your “feelings” in your writing...and gives you some kind of measure...so..that killed it for me...plus ive begun writing less on computer because of all the snooping.
“Facebook usage wanes, messaging apps like WhatsApp are growing in popularity as a “more private (and less confrontational) space to communicate.”
Facebook also owns instagram.
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