5 reasons not to use the app

WhatsApp is the most used messaging service in the Netherlands. However, there are also reasons not to use the service.

You likely have WhatsApp on your phone. It is a handy application that allows you to easily send messages, photos, videos, and documents. The most obvious reason, of course, is that almost everyone has an account. From friends to the neighborhood app, we use WhatsApp for everything. In addition, the application is always innovative.

Stop using WhatsApp

However, not everything is so bright when we talk about WhatsApp. The service is owned by Facebook social networking site And of course their business model is to make money from advertising sales. They do this by linking data. When WhatsApp announced its intention to share user data with Facebook, it caused an uproar. There are other reasons to consider leaving.

Change terms and conditions

The fact that WhatsApp can change its general terms and conditions at once is a risk. Before you know it, your data will be shared with parent company Facebook, which you never want. Fortunately, we are not affected by EU legislation. But the fact that the company is trying to push our boundaries should itself be a reason to stay vigilant.

Facebook itself denies that it wants to share data between its services. In their opinion, it is only about messaging between companies and customers. Anyway, it’s the same Facebook that gets angry at Apple that prevents the company from following you on iOS by default.

WhatsApp is not open source

The application is more secure when it is open source. The code becomes public and the community can check if everything is safe. If something is wrong, it is quickly noticed. Due to the closed WhatsApp system, this control does not occur. This does not mean that WhatsApp does nothing about security, but the more eyes the better of course!

WhatsApp is still collecting data

Well, WhatsApp does not have access to your messages, but it collects all the data around you. According to its privacy policy, it can measure, for example, what is the interaction between the messaging service and other applications. See below the difference between WhatsApp and Signal in terms of privacy in the App Store.

Signal slams Facebook with ridiculous Instagram ads

good alternatives

The competition has not stopped and is attacking WhatsApp. Signal is one of the biggest competitors. Besides the fact that there is no big company behind the app, it is also very transparent. Unlike Telegram, the app has end-to-end encryption by default which also makes it secure. Moreover, you can also send SMS or iMessages, which are also good secure alternatives.

More comfort

With WhatsApp you can access it more than ever. At the same time, this can also be a significant drawback. Since everyone uses the app, you often get messages that you don’t feel like at all. Think, for example, of a group chat where you lose 100 messages if you’ve been away for an hour. If people really have to make an effort to reach you, they will likely only do so when necessary. And let’s face it, sometimes calling each other is nicer than catching up via apps? It also ensures less screen time.