WhatsApp is without a doubt the most popular messaging app in the world. No matter which messaging app you useāTelegram, Signal, Apple Messagesāsomeone in your contact list will undoubtedly be heavily using the Meta app, compelling you to keep it installed.
We frequently discuss how the app is progressing and how it is adding new features while also fixing bugs and security holes. However, a “rather competent” user recently posted on Telegram to warn you not to use the app.
This individual is none other than Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, who in a sincere message outlined the justifications for his appeal, beginning with the following phrase: “Hackers could have full access! To everything on the phones of Whatsapp users”.
Telegram founder: Stay away from Whatsapp, it’s a surveillance tool
Durov asserts that WhatsApp would in fact have a very serious security flaw. Allowing an attacker to take control of the phone through a video or just a video call.
Update the app right away if you haven’t already, as we mentioned in our article. However, the founder of Telegram claims that it might not be sufficient.
Durov actually cautions that the app has experienced similar issues in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, as even Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, was a victim of such a flaw.
In other words, according to Durov, WhatsApp has real backdoors that are reintroduced once they are found, so no matter how many fixes are made, there will undoubtedly be a flaw of some kind in the app.
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“Every year, we learn about some issue in WhatsApp that puts everything on their users’ devices at risk. Which means it’s almost certain that a new security flaw already exists there. Such issues are hardly incidental ā they are planted backdoors. If one backdoor is discovered and has to be removed, another one is added”.
It is not the first time the founder of Telegram has attacked the Meta app, and the statement is undoubtedly very strong. The manager and developer go further, warning users not to use the app because it has been a legitimate surveillance tool for 13 years.
Users’ security and privacy is at risk
Do we have to all switch to Telegram then? Durov claims he didn’t post the message because Telegram needs additional promotion. Because his app has 700 million active users and 2 million daily signups. But he neglects to mention that Telegram users skyrocketed in 2021 as a result of WhatsApp’s change in privacy policies.
“I’m not pushing people to switch to Telegram here. With 700M+ active users and 2M+ daily signups, Telegram doesn’t need additional promotion. You can use any messaging app you like, but do stay away from WhatsApp. It has now been a surveillance tool for 13 years”.
Durov has been removing WhatsApp from his phone for years. Because, to him, having it there is like having a door that anyone can enter.
“It doesn’t matter if you are the richest person on earth. If you have WhatsApp installed on your phone, all your data from every app on your device is accessible. As Jeff Bezos found out in 2020. That’s why I deleted WhatsApp from my devices years ago. Having it creates a door to get into your phone.”
