The thing is that today you dont even need access to the coversation when you have metadata. Imagine, a woman calls a number of center for planned parenthood, is on the phone for 20 mins. Then she calls a number of her gyno doc for couple mins. Then her phone is located at that gyno doc a week later for 2 hours or whatever it takes. Do you need to decrypt the conversation? You already know what was discussed.
Who you associate with, what people/services you call and what places you frequent is way, way more interesting than knowing the actual contents of your messages. I mean they’d probably obviously prefer both, but if you had to pick one, metadata is more valuable.
How sure can one be with proprietary apps that the users are in fact the only ones who can decrypt their messages?
The thing is that today you dont even need access to the coversation when you have metadata. Imagine, a woman calls a number of center for planned parenthood, is on the phone for 20 mins. Then she calls a number of her gyno doc for couple mins. Then her phone is located at that gyno doc a week later for 2 hours or whatever it takes. Do you need to decrypt the conversation? You already know what was discussed.
Good point.
I mean that’s one very specific scenario. Also you wouldn’t be able to call any of those places on WhatsApp or IG Messenger.
Who you associate with, what people/services you call and what places you frequent is way, way more interesting than knowing the actual contents of your messages. I mean they’d probably obviously prefer both, but if you had to pick one, metadata is more valuable.
What data is available is not so important to me as what data could be used against me in a court of law.
Bit of a moot point regardless as there are plenty of private messengers.
Metadata can be used against you just as well as actual messages though.
I think a lot of them do.
Does the app has access to your call log ? To verify you when you sign up?
I don’t know but you can only place calls to other WhatsApp users, to my knowledge
Yes, but if they can read your call log, thats all you need.