Is the usage of WhatsApp on GOS more secure in because of privacy?

DeletedUser127

You can divert metadata collection and blend in with the crowd by using busy VPN servers.

ryrona

DeletedUser127 You can divert metadata collection and blend in with the crowd by using busy VPN servers.

No. You need to ID yourself to sign up for a WhatsApp account by registering your phone number with them. They will always know who you are, or at least who signed up for the account, whether you use a VPN or not.

DeletedUser127

ryrona I think I didn't explain it well. Of course, you can not stop WhatsApp (Meta and indirectly Google) from collecting this metadata, but they are not the only actors that may be interested in collecting it.

Also @r134a not needing Play Services in order to run and not contacting them are 2 different things, wouldn't you say?

PetertheMeter

ryrona never heared about prepaid ready to use simcards withiut your data cinnected to it? Or burner phones? (For account creation) Or am i missing something?

r134a

ryrona WhatsApp will also still always be able to obtain identifiers for your Google services since it needs Google services to function.

I've had this impression for a long time aswell, but it came to my attention, through this forum, that whatsapp actually doesn't need play services to function. It functions on 'barebones' grapheneOS with notifications.

ryrona

r134a I've had this impression for a long time aswell, but it came to my attention, through this forum, that whatsapp actually doesn't need play services to function. It functions on 'barebones' grapheneOS with notifications.

Oh, really? That I wouldn't have expected. That certainly means it can be made even more privacy respecting, especially once we have Application Scopes. Thanks for sharing! I have obviously made some assumptions here.

tango

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/5808-does-grapheneos-prevent-sending-metadata-to-whatsapp

DeletedUser64

I too like many others have to use WA reluctantly because of Family/friends etc reluctance to use anything else.
I use WA and do not have any Ggle services installed and it works fine.
I do use WA via a VPN and Orbot. (not at the same time) but swap from one to the other as and when I want to.
Hopefully that mitigates most of the data harvesting that goes on. However my phone number in the other persons devices in regular Ggle phones will be known to G**gle, which is why i signed up with a sim I disposed of.

rellhom

DeletedUser64 which is why i signed up with a sim I disposed of.

does Whatsapp have the ability to poll your hardware if you then have a different sim in later and find out your new phone number?

r134a

DeletedUser127 Also @r134a not needing Play Services in order to run and not contacting them are 2 different things, wouldn't you say?

Not entirely sure why u quote me on this? One mentioned it needed play services to run, i've rectified this assumption which i had for a long time aswell.

brandy078

ryrona Would it help to isolate WhatsApp into a different user profile, with no other apps, exept vpn, in it?

TGOS

brandy078 if you have just whatsapp installed it should be good.
Because then it can't communicate with other meta apps or google play apps.

I just installed Whatsapp in main profile and am able to use it normally, without Google Play. I ordered a free SIM which I will hold and use it just for registration. So its also anonyme because with this number I'm not known to Meta.

DeletedUser88

brandy078 The benefit of isolating WhatsApp in its own user profile with is that WhatsApp will not be able to get the list of apps you have installed in any other profile. You also prevent WhatsApp from communicating with other Meta apps or embedded Meta libraries through IPC.

You could use a Private Space instead of a secondary user profile. It's a lot more convenient to use WhatsApp in a Private Space because a Private Space is essentially a secondary user profile but integrated in the Owner profile UI.

brandy078

TGOS Did you make a new account with sim, or did you just changed your number?

DeletedUser87

TGOS have you given it access to any contacts at all? That would already most likely deanonymize you. When I used WA back in the day, I made sure not to give it any access to contacts. Just wrote to numbers and remembered who it is by chat content.

TGOS

DeletedUser88

Oh I see. I thought it can't communicate with Apps which are not installed or connected to Google Play Store

brandy078

DeletedUser88 Thanks. But I already use private space with a bunch of apps, with trackers and my banking apps

TGOS

DeletedUser88 can you confirm that whatsapp is aware of every other app in a user profile? So no matter from where it is installed from and if G-Services installed?
That was actually the reason not installing it in private space for me.

TGOS

brandy078
Just ordered new one. But also changing it would make the same.
Because Vodafone doesn't give Meta your credentials, like whatsapp doesn't get the names in your contacts. So writing them directly or via Contact (scopes) shoudn't be a difference.

Carlos-Anso

ryrona WhatsApp can still communicate with other Meta apps you have installed, to share account information.

You can install WhatsApp in a different user, work profile or private space to stop this communication with Meta apps.

ryrona

Carlos-Anso You can install WhatsApp in a different user, work profile or private space to stop this communication with Meta apps.

True, I should had said, "other Meta apps you have installed in the same user profile".

DeletedUser127

brandy078 you need to reeavaluate your threat model and ask yourself what exactly you want to protect and from whom. You can then make decisions based on that.

brandy078

DeletedUser127 I want to give meta as little useful information as possible.
Whatsapp currently only has access to my contacts. No access to files, photos, micro or camera.
I also use an always on VPN.
I understand that avoiding metadata does not seem possible. But I want to reduce them to a minimum.

m4ri0g

while i understand whatsapp sometimes is a must.
I stopped trying to get people to use telegram or other. whatsapp is deeply embedded in lives of people, mostly in my country. everything goes through it basically.
the day wsp is down the country is uncommunicated and i am not exaggerating.

however, the use of meta-apps is avoidable. the mobile websites work as good. avoid installing other meta apps but whatsapp.

brandy078

m4ri0g WhatsApp is the only Meta (cr)app I'm using.

m4ri0g

brandy078 this is the way!