Being WhatsApp one of the most used messaging applications in the world, it has also become one of the apps that third parties seek to get the most out of. Functions for scheduling messages, extra features not available in the official client, themes and customization or spy tactics. The latter is more common than it seems, and seemingly impossible to avoid.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BfTItkZs05BLNg6L69q3cE
There are people who are making unofficial modifications of WhatsApp to try to reach everything that it does not offer right now
There are people who are making unofficial modifications of WhatsApp to try to reach everything that it does not offer right now
In a Business Insider report they detail how there is a proliferation of third-party apps that manage to spy on the activity of others on WhatsApp without their consent. Although they cannot access the conversation history since they are encrypted end-to-end, they can obtain other types of information to detect trends or habits.
The description of one of the apps: “… we automatically track the actions of your loved ones on WhatsApp …”, “… we will notify you instantly when we detect a movement …”
The applications are often promoted as parental control applications, with the idea of controlling whether a child is using WhatsApp instead of studying for example. Although of course, others directly refer to more negative activities such as “see if your lover is talking to someone else.” According to Business Insider, there are dozens of these apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. A quick search in the Google and Apple stores does indeed return several results for apps like that. Apps are usually available for free with in-app purchases that unlock all features or no limitations.
FACEBOOK keeps a record of ALL WEBSITES you visit so you can DEACTIVATE IT
‘Online’ whether you want it or not
But what exactly do they do? They take advantage of a WhatsApp functionality that has practically been available since WhatsApp exists: ‘Online’. When we are within the application we automatically appear as online or available to other users. This is, in a way, useful for others to know whether or not they should speak to us. In a way, since entering the application does not always mean that one is available to speak with the rest or with someone in particular.