Facebook’s popular messaging and video calling app – WhatsApp, is now on the move to upgarde its privacy protection amidst the potential “surveillance” of the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that could break privacy policies in social media communication.
WhatsApp is now adding a fully end-to-end encryption system in making video calls to its application last Monday, according to a Reuters report. This comes after some privacy advocates expressed concern that government authorities might encroach on private conversations of citizens and read messages or listen to calls.
Facebook ensures that WhatsApp's new video calling service guarantees the privacy of users and should not fear eavesdropping. However, the app would still retain other data including the contact list of its individual users.
In an interview, Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, said the new feature of the video calls will be rolled out to about 180 countries worldwide.
“We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want,” Koum said at the company’s unmarked Mountain View, California headquarters building. “We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.”
Although tech companies like Apple and Microsoft offer FaceTime and Skype, respectively, WhatsApp was massively built in a mobile installed base. Thus, customers are increasingly more familiar with the communication application.
Granting that the new privacy feature is on the move, WhatsApp had revised its privacy policy and allowed Facebook to know who are WhatsApp's users and their phone numbers. This was after its long-standing initiative that it would not share any information about users with Facebook.
Koum also added that WhatsApp is totally committed to its security policy despite the increasing fear of amplified surveillance that U.S. President-elect Trump advocates.
Donald Trump together with FBI Director James Comey, has been advocating that all tech companies should give up customer information to the government at any cause to reform tech companies’ messaging policies.
