Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 7
Posts 1 - 7

WhatsApp Introduces End-to-End Encryption

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 5.4.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, law, privacy, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | Facebook has introduced end-to-end encryption for all WhatsApp communication including one-on-one and group chats and multimedia data sent in chats. This is a step to protect user privacy because breaches have happened in the past. The federal government however opposes this step because it denies the police access to communications which may be crucial to crack criminal cases.
Image Description | WhatsApp and Facebook logos.
Image Tags | Facebook, logo, WhatsApp

No, WhatsApp can't get you 'free internet without WiFi' - don't fall for the scam

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Newspaper | Mirror
Date | 16.1.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | threat, WhatsApp
Summary | Scammers are trapping people on WhatsApp with the offer of free internet service abroad without wifi. Users ought to be careful. Usually in these scams, users are sent a link from an unsuspecting contact which leads them to a website where they have to enter their personal data (which will be used to profit from them) and asked to share the link with a number of contacts to get the service.
Image Description | Getty image of a woman frowning at a smartphone with a WhatsApp icon in the background and some screenshots of the scam message and the website.
Image Tags | female(s), logo, smartphone, WhatsApp

Controversial rights group teaches young Muslims how spies monitor social media

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Newspaper | Telegraph
Date | 29.4.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | privacy, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | A dubious organization is teaching young muslims in the UK how authorities can spy on their digital communications. Government authorities are eager to intercept instant messaging communication to be able to avoid terrorist attacks but companies such as WhatsApp and Telegram are making their services encrypted and refuse to aid the government in their surveillance endeavors.
Image Description | Image of a screen close-up showing the WhatsApp and Facebook icon, portraits of dead terrorist attackers (once with a balaclava), and a Getty image of the GCHQ director (UK intelligence organization?).
Image Tags | Facebook, logo, male(s), WhatsApp

Das ist an Messenger-Verschwörungstheorien dran

(This is the deal with messenger conspiracy theories)

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Newspaper | Welt
Date | 5.11.2017
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | artificial intelligence, privacy, Snapchat, texting, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | A list of popular messengers is analyzed in terms of how well they protect their users' privacy. The safest one is Signal and many others have end-to-end encryption, for instance WhatsApp. They still collect the metadata though (interlocutors, time of interaction, location). Some even save the content that is sent around - most shockingly Snapchat which is popular becuase it supposedly leaves no trace. Some messengers supposedly have ties with national security ministries, like Telegram in Russia and Viber in Israel. Apple recently refused to work with the FBI in giving away a customer's personal information.
Image Description | Photograph of a smartphone screen with messengers and a video about messengers.
Image Tags | hand(s), logo, smartphone, WhatsApp

For Millions of Immigrants, a Common Language: WhatsApp

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 21.12.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | privacy, WhatsApp
Summary | WhatsApp is hugely popular in South America, Europe, India, Africa, and among the masses of refugees fleeing from the Middle East at the moment. It has transformed the refugee and immigrant experience, enabling people who are in a lonely, desperate situation in their lives to stay connected with their loved ones. Refugees use WhatsApp for strategic communication as well, to call for help or let their families know that they are safe, they can send photographs and make free calls provided they have access to WiFi. Their WhatsApp communication is also encrypted, making it safe for those moving through different countries without legal permission. Expats and immigrants can now partake in the daily lives of their friends and family back home by easily sending pictures back and forth and simply communicating more - something that was very expensive even a few years ago.
Image Description | GIF of a WhatsApp icon globe spinning around.
Image Tags | logo, WhatsApp

Das sind die neuen Funktionen von Whatsapp

(These are the newest functions of WhatsApp)

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Newspaper | Der Bund
Date | 7.7.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Snapchat, WhatsApp
Summary | New image editing and music features are supposed to be added to the messaging app WhatsApp. Funny filters, the possibility of adding stickers and drawing on pictures might be incorporated into WhatsApp – functions which are mainly known to be Snapchat features. Users will also be able to share music through the app and listen to it without having to download it. Further, it will be possible to join a group simply by clicking on a link.
Image Description | Photograph of a smartphone screen with different icons (WhatsApp, Skype, Viber) and a finger pointing to the WhatsApp icon. Screenshot of a Twitter account that mentions the new WhatsApp features.
Image Tags | hand(s), logo, Skype, smartphone, Twitter, Viber, WhatsApp

«What’s Up, Switzerland? »: Spenden Sie Nachrichten für die Forschung

(“What’s Up, Switzerland?”: Donate messages for research)

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Newspaper | Aargauer Zeitung
Date | 1.6.2014
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | research/study, texting, What's up Switzerland, WhatsApp
Summary | Language researchers from various Swiss universities (Neuchâtel/ Zürich/ Bern) are asking the public to submit their WhatsApp messages for research purposes. German, French, Italian, and Romansh submissions will be accepted and the WhatsApp data will be compared to SMS data collected between 2009-2011. The researchers are further interested in whether there are communicative differences in WhatsApp messaging between speakers of different languages or regional dialects.
Image Description | Screenshot of three icons: WhatsApp, Skype, and Dropbox.
Image Tags | Dropbox, logo, Skype, WhatsApp

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