Is the WhatsApp safe? Is it safe to send photos on WhatsApp? How safe is WhatsApp video call…Are you curious about those questions? Come and find Answers!

1. Title: Is WhatsApp Safe? Why and Why Not? And How to Use It Safely?
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Description: Is the WhatsApp safe? Is it safe to send photos on WhatsApp? How safe is WhatsApp
video call…Are you curious about those questions? Come and find Answers!
URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/is-whatsapp-safe.html
Summary: Is WhatsApp Safe? This is a hot topic online for years since WhatsApp become popular
worldwide. This article provided by MiniTool Technology will debate on it and give an unbiased
conclusion based on facts.
What Is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp,alsoknownasWhatsAppMessenger,isafree cross-platformcentralizedmessagingand
voice-over-IP(VoIP) service ownedbyFacebook,Inc. Itenables itsuserstosendandreceive textand
voice messages,make videoandvoice calls,aswell asshare photos/pictures/images/graphics,
files/folders/documentations,userlocations,andotherdigital content.
More Information About WhatsApp
WhatsAppisa clientapplicationthatismainlyappliedtomobile devices,suchascell phones and
tablets. Yet,italsoruns ondesktopcomputersonly when the relatedmobileclientisconnectedto
the Internet. Moreover,there is aWhatsAppWebclient thatalsoneedstobe syncedwithamobile
version.
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2. Besidespersonalusage,WhatsAppcanalsobe usedcommerciallywithastandalone businessapp
for small businessowners.ThisspecializedappiscalledWhatsAppBusinessanditallowscompanies
to communicate withtheircustomers whouse the standardWhatsAppclient.
WhatsAppsupports once supported iPhone,BlackBerrysmartphone, Symbianoperatingsystem
(OS),Androidsystem, Nokianon-smartphone OSseries40,WindowsPhone,SamsungTizenOS, etc.
Now,ithas ceasedmanydevicesandOSesandmainlysupportsAndroid,iOS,Windows,MacOS, and
KaiOS.
WhatsApp Background
Originally,WhatsAppwasdevelopedbyBrianActonandJan KoumfromWhatsAppInc. in2009,
whichlocatesinMountainView,California.Laterin2014, FaceBookacquireditand itbecame the
world’smostpopularmessagingapplicationby2015. WhatsAppbecomesthe mainstream
communicationtool inmanycountriesandareaslike LatinAmerica,the Indiansubcontinent, and
manyparts of Europe and Africa.It has over2 billionusersworldwideasof February2020.
Is WhatsApp Safe?
As the mostpopularcommunicationappinthe world,WhatsApptransfersbillionsof private
contentseveryday.So,manyuserscare aboutthe securityof thisprogramand wantto know
whetheritis safe to use WhatsAppor not.
Before answeringthe question,firstof all,let’sseesome casesrelatedtothe securityof WhatsApp.
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Case 1. Is the WhatsApp App Safe?
WhatsAppwasinitiallycriticizedforsendinginformation inplaintextandlackingencryption.Then,
encryptionwasfirstaddedinMay 2012 and the end-to-endencryptionwasonlyfullyappliedinApril
2016 after2 yearsof process.
Case 2. Is WhatsApp Video Call Safe
In May 2019, WhatsAppwasattackedby hackersand the hackersinstalled malwareonlotsof
people’smobilephones.Itissaidthat the hackersinjectedspyware intoWhatsAppusers’
handphonesthrougharemote-exploitbuginthe app’sVoIPcallingfunctions.Also,allegedly,the
spyware wascreatedbyIsraeli surveillance technologyfirmNSOGroup.
A reportfromWiredmagazine statedthatthe attack couldsendmalware tothe targetedphone via
videoorvoice calls,evenif the userdidn’tanswerthe call.AccordingtoWhatsApp,the exploit
“targetedat least100 human-rightsdefenders,journalistsandothermembersof civil society”
amonga total of 1,400 usersin 20 countries.
On October29, 2019, WhatsAppfiledalawsuitagainstNSOGroupclaimingthatthe alleged
cyberattackviolatedUSlawsincludingthe CFAA (ComputerFraudandAbuse Act).
Case 3. Is WhatsApp Safe to Use?
In August2019, CheckPointdiscoveredasecurityflaw thatallowedcyberattackerstorepeatedly
crash the messagingapplicationforall membersof agroup chat.The problemcouldonlybe fixedby
forcinguninstall andreinstall WhatsAppcompletely.Thisflaw wasfixedinversion2.19.246 onwards
inDecember2019.
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3. Case 4. Is WhatsApp Safe to Send Pictures?
In December2019, WhatsAppconfirmedthatthere isa securityvulnerabilitythatwouldenable
hackersto gainaccess to users’databy sendingmalicious GIFimage.Whenthe recipientsopened
the gallerywithinWhatsApp,evenif notsendingthe maliciousimage,the hackisalreadytriggered;
the device anditsdata become vulnerable.Later,the vulnerabilitywaspatchedinthe updates.
Case 5. Jeff Bezos Phone Hack
In January2020, the AmazonfounderJeff BezosreceivedanencryptedmessageonWhatsAppfrom
the official accountof Saudi Arabia’sCrownPrince MohammedbinSalman, revealedbyadigital
forensic.The encryptedmessagereportedlycontainedamaliciousfile,whichcausedBezos’phone
to be hacked.
The UnitedNation’sspecial rapporteurAgnesCallamardandDavidKaye confirmedlaterthatBezos’
phone washackedthroughWhatsAppas he was one of the targetsof Saudi’shitlistof individuals
close to The WashingtonPostjournalistJamal Khashoggi.
Case 6. WhatsApp, Is It Safe?
In December2020, a claimthat WhatsAppgave Google accessto private messageswasincludedin
the anti-trustcase againstthe latter. Because the case is ongoing,the complaintisheavilyredacted.
It doesnotdisclose whetherthisallegestamperingwiththe app’send-to-endencryptionorsimply
Google accessinguserbackups.
Case 7. Is WhatsApp Safe and Secure?
In January2021, WhatsAppupdateditsPrivacyPolicythatstatesthatWhatsAppwill share userdata
withFacebookandits“familyof companies”startinginFebruary2021. Formerly,userscouldopt-
out of such data sharing,butthe newprivacypolicyremovesthisoption.
The newpolicydoesn’tapplywithin the EU forit’sillegal underGDPR(General DataProtection
Regulation).Underthe wide criticism,the implementationof the policyhasbeenpostponedfrom
February 8 to May 15.
https://www.minitool.com/ios-recovery/iphone-whatsapp-messages-recovery.html
How Safe Is WhatsApp?
ThoughWhatsApphas beenhackedandcriticizedmanytimesinthe past,itfixedits
bugs/vulnerabilitiesandcorrectsitsmannerstoprotect user’sprivacyandsecurity.Besidesthe
actionsWhatsApptakesmentionedabove,ithasalsodone below aspects.
In November2019, WhatsAppreleasedanew privacy feature thatallowsuserstodetermine who
adds themtothe groupchat.
Since February1st,2020, for securitypurposes,WhatsAppstopssupportforsmartphonesrunning
legacyOSesincludingiPhone iOS8or olderandAndroid2.3.7 or olderthat are nolongerupdatedby
theirproviders.
WhatsAppSecurity Features
The followingfunctionsare providedbyWhatsApptoprotectyourprivacyand protectyou from
cyberattacks.
 PrivacySettings:Youcan control by settingyourprofile photo,lastseen,andabouttobe
seenbyeveryone,contactsonly,ornoone.

4.  Two-StepVerification:Create asix-digitpintoenable extrasecurityforyourWhatsApp
account.
 BlockUnwantedUsers:Stop some fromcontactingyoudirectlyfroma chat.
 ClearChat Messages:Delete all messagesinsideanindividual orgroupchat,or all chats at
once.
 Delete andReportSpam:Reportspamfrom inside the program.
 RequestAccountInfo:Geta reportof your WhatsAppaccountinformationandsettings.
 Turn off ReadReceipts:Choose whethersomeone cansee if youhave readtheirmessage or
not.
 Leave a Group: You can exita groupat any time.
https://www.minitool.com/ios-recovery/iphone-deleting-messages-by-itself.html
Different Voices
Thoughthe privacyprotectionservicesprovidedbyWhatsAppiswidelyacceptedandpraisedby
usersall overthe world.Yet,there are still some people whoholddifferentideas.
For example,inMarch2017, the BritishHome SecretaryAmberRuddsaidthat the encryption
feature of messagingappslike WhatsApp isunacceptable fornewsreportedthatKhalidMasood
usedWhatsAppforseveral minutesbefore perpetratingthe 2017 Westminsterattack.Ruddcalled
for that the police andintelligence agenciestobe givenaccesstoWhatsAppandotherencrypted
messagingservicestopreventfuture terrorism.
However,personally,Idoubtthe proposal byRudd.Thoughhisintentionisgood, he can’tdenythat
malicious people whoworkinpolice officesandintelligence agencies willtake thisprivilege tohack
others’privacy.
Conclusion for Is WhatsApp Safe
WhatsAppissafernowthan inthe past.Still,itisnot completelysafe andnoappis 100%. Anyhow,
youcan continue usingWhatsAppwhile takingsome actionstokeepyourdatasafe.
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How to Maintain Security While Using WhatsApp?
Accordingto the caseslistedabove,some of youmaythinkWhatsAppisnotsafe and thinkthe
safestwayisto uninstall andremove itfromyourphone andcomputercompletely.Thisisnot
wrong,but notthe smartchoice.
As a popularandwell-knowncommunicationapp,WhatsAppmusthave itsadvantagesandbenefits.
And,afterusingWhatsAppforyears,how can you quititfrom yourdailylife?Thoughyoumayfind
WhatsAppalternativestoreplace it,dothe alternatives safe enough?Maybe theyare more
dangerous thanWhatsApp.Then,whatshouldyoudo?
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Since youmustuse some tool foryour daily communicationwithothers,youcankeepusingthe
comparativelysaferWhatsApp.Whatyoucan do isto take some actionstoprotect yourimportant
data on bothyour phone andcomputerwhile usingWhatsApp.Thenhow?
Suggestion 1. Install and Update WhatsApp from Reliable Source
Make sure youget and maintainyourWhatsAppvia a secure source.The mostsecure source isthe
official release.Youare recommendedtodownloadthe software anditsupdates fromWhatsApp’s

5. official website,yourphone or yourcomputer’sofficialappstore like Applestore, Google Play,and
MicrosoftStore.
Suggestion 2. Do Not Open Unknown Files
Most cyberattacksand securityproblemsare causedbyreceivingandopeningmaliciousfileslike
images,documents,videos,voice messages,links,etc.,especiallyfilesfromstrangers.Youcan’t
preventyourselffromreceivingthose items,butyoucanavoidbeinginfectedbynotopening them.
Suggestion 3. Be Cautious to Add Strangers as Friends
It isnot recommendedtoacceptsomeone’sfriendrequestthatyoudon’tknow.Andyouare
stronglysuggestednottoaddstrangersas friends.The reasonisthat youare probablycheatedand
attackedby them.
Suggestion 4. Avoid Connecting Unknown WiFi
Whenyoutravel somewhere,especiallyinpublicplaces,youwillfindmanywifinetworksandsome
of themcan be accessedwithoutpasswords.Payspecialattentiontothose free WiFi andtrynot to
use them.Theyare goodchoicesforhackersto relyon forhackingintovictims’phonesor
computers.
Suggestion 5. Secure Your Device with Antivirus Software
No matteryouare usingWhatsApponyour mobile devicesorcomputers,youcanrelyonthe
antivirus programsappliedtothe devicestokeepyourpersonaldatasafe.Keepthe security
software openalongwithWhatsAppandscanyour device regularlyandwheneveryoufeelyou
should.
https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/malware-vs-virus.html
Suggestion 6. Back up Data on Schedule
Justlike a virusscan,you shouldalsomake a backupof your crucial data regularly.If youare usinga
phone,youcan make use of its built-infeature tocopyyourdata. Nearlyall phoneshave such a
functionnowadays.
If you needtouse WhatsAppon yourcomputer,also,youcan relyon the system’sself-contained
utilitytocreate a backup,such as WindowsBackupandRecoveryor File History.Or,youmayask for
helpfromthird-partyprogramstoback up yourcomputerwitha schedule. Then, MiniTool
ShadowMakerisrecommendedhere.
MiniTool ShadowMakerisaprofessional andreliableapplicationthatcanbackupnearlyall data on
your computer,includingoperatingsystem,harddisks,partitions/volumes,andfiles/folders.Below
isa brief guide showingyouhowtocreate a scheduledbackupof yourcomputerfileswith MiniTool
ShadowMaker.
Step1. Downloadandinstall MiniTool ShadowMakeronyourmachine.
SM-Trial
Step2. Launch the programand clickKeepTrial to continue.
Step3. In its maininterface,move tothe Backup tab.There,clickthe Source module toselectthe
filesyouwanttoback up.
Step4. Clickthe Destination module tochoose atarget place to save the backupimage.You are
suggestedtotake a removable device likeaUSB flashdrive tostore the backup.

6. Step5. Clickthe Schedule buttoninthe lower-lefttotriggerthe scheduledbackupsettings.
Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerBackupTask
Step6. In the pop-upwindow,switchonthe backupschedule,selectafrequencyyoulike,andsetit
up.
Step7. Finally,click Back up Now to carry out the backupprocess.
Wait until the initial backupfinishes.Inthe future,MiniTool ShadowMakerwillautomaticallycarry
out the backuptasks onschedule.Youwill getyourdataprotectedwithoutdoinganything
manually!
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OK,that is all about the “is WhatsAppsafe”topic.If youhave differentopinionsonthistopic,feel
free toleave a commentbelow.Or,if youencounteranyproblemwhile usingMiniTool
ShadowMaker,justcontactour supportteamat support@minitool.com andyouwill be replied
ASAP.