Number of Posts: 9
Posts 1 - 9
China Blocks WhatsApp, Broadening Online Censorship
Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 25.9.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | censorship, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | The messaging app WhatsApp has been blocked in China. WhatsApp -which is owned by Facebook- was the last of Facebook products available in China. Indeed, both Facebook and Instagram are unavailable in China. To block the messaging app WhatsApp, the Chinese government may have created a special system that can intercept WhatsApp messages. Because of censorship in China, users have to turn to other messaging apps that can be easily controlled by the Chinese government (e.g. WeChat). When WhatsApp was blocked, many Chinese users complained.
Image Description | Photograph of a man staring at his phone.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone
China Disrupts WhatsApp Service in Online Clampdown
Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 18.7.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | censorship, Facebook, Google, Instagram, privacy, threat, Twitter, WhatsApp
Summary | The Chinese government has partly shut down the use of WhatsApp within their borders. The app is widely used around the globe and was used by some in China do communicate with people outside of Chine with end-to-end encryption. Other popular social media platforms and internet sites like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are blocked under the "Great Firewall" in China.
Image Description | Woman using a smartphone and women standing in front of Facebook and Instagram logos as well as emojis.
Image Tags | emojis, Facebook, female(s), Instagram, logo, smartphone
As Elites Switch to Texting, Watchdogs Fear Loss of Transparency
Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 6.7.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | law, politics, privacy, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | The powerful elites are using the end-to-end-encrypted WhatsApp to communicate sensitive information. Such strategies are adopted by politicians, high-profile representatives of major companies, and Wallstreet banker. The latter are lawfully obligated to save all communications for possible inspection but WhatsApp enables them to escape that law.
Image Description | Image of a man talking on the phone and another man reading some paperwork.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone
Diese drei Anwendungen sind besser als Whatsapp
(These three apps are better than WhatsApp)
Newspaper | Welt
Date | 5.5.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | law, privacy, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | Brazil has just blocked WhatsApp in their country for 72 hours in order to for WhatsApp to share chats with their police in ciminal cases. It is unlikely that something like this will happen in Germany but it is good to know about some alternatives just in case... Especially since WhatsApp is not very trustworthy about user privacy. Threema is a Swiss app that alllows for user anonymity, Slack is a really good app to use with colleagues because files can be saved within group chats, and Telegram deletes inactive chats after a while so that there are no traces.
Image Description | Woman using a smartphone with headphones on the street.
Image Tags | female(s), headphones, smartphone
No, WhatsApp can't get you 'free internet without WiFi' - don't fall for the scam
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
Das ist an Messenger-Verschwörungstheorien dran
(This is the deal with messenger conspiracy theories)
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
Vorsicht vor dieser Whatsapp-Falle
(Beware of this WhatsApp scam)
Newspaper | Stern
Date | 19.12.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | A WhatsApp chain message is going around offering people free holiday emojis. A link directs them to a dodgy website where they type in their phone number and service provider. Instead of getting free emojis however one is signed up for an expensive subscription with hardly any possibility to quit. People should be careful with content they receive and spread through WhatsApp.
Image Description | A hand-held smartphone.
Image Tags | Facebook, female(s), hand(s), Instagram, smartphone, Viber, WhatsApp
Versetzt Whatsapp dem E-Mail den Todesstoss?
(Is WhatsApp giving the e-mail the death blow?)
Newspaper | Der Bund
Date | 23.10.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | email, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | A rumor is going around that WhatsApp is planning to introduce a document sharing function into the app. This way, Word or PDF documents could be sent through WhatsApp rather than other channels. This might mean the death of emails, a media that already counts as old-fashioned.
Image Description | Photograph of a hand holding a smartphone where there are four social media icons.
Image Tags | hand(s), smartphone, social media
Schulmädchen im Internet
(School girls on the internet)
Newspaper | die Weltwoche
Date | 12.5.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Snapchat, threat, WhatsApp, youth
Summary | Teenage girls still live struggling with the same pressure as earlier generations; the only difference is that now social media are here to enhance them. The number of followers quantifies popularity and the longevity of content online can easily ruin somebody’s reputation for good. Having an account on WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other social media is compulsory at ages as young as 11 years old unless one wants to become isolated.
Image Description | Illustration of a girl and her digital devices; she is surrounded by elements representing social media and internet life.
Image Tags | computer/laptop, female(s), smartphone, social media
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