Security News > 2021 > September > Can WhatsApp moderators really read your encrypted texts? Yes ... if you forward them to the abuse dept

The ProPublica report says that WhatsApp contractors "Sift through streams of private messages, images and videos that have been reported by WhatsApp users as improper and then screened by the company's artificial intelligence systems."

WhatsApp in a statement emailed to The Register pushed back against ProPublica's claims.

Rather it's arguing that WhatsApp has created a system that encourages its own users to undo its privacy promises by reporting unlawful or objectionable message content to WhatsApp contract moderators.

"If I receive a WhatsApp message and then send it to the WhatsApp abuse team because it's abusive, I am not undermining [end-to-end] encryption any more than if I screenshot the message and post it here for everyone to see."

WhatsApp is not alone among the companies that market privacy without really trying to clear up those misunderstandings - look at Apple casting itself as a privacy champion while planning, until recently, to scour customer devices for illegal child sex abuse material.

Certainly more clarity would be worthwhile, but does anyone really expect WhatsApp to ignore CSAM or other illegal content traversing its network?

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/09/07/whatsapp_privacy_propublica/