BENGALURU: Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp was embroiled in further controversy after cybersecurity experts found that many private group invite links and member profiles were accessible through on search engine Google. Security experts said that this led to many unwanted users being added to WhatsApp groups and the sharing of unsolicited material. The bug was removed by the messaging service later.
WhatsApp said in a statement on Monday that it had informed Google of the “no-index tag”, which excluded several links from being indexed on the search engine. It also cautioned users from sharing private group links on public channels and said that any new addition to a group was always notified to existing members and group admins.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp’s updated policy has sparked increasing criticism in India over invasion of privacy concerns, with some company CEOs and trader bodies asking their members and employees to stay away from the platform and switch to alternatives. Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had tweeted out a recommendation to use rival messaging app Signal. Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma noted that Big Tech was abusing its monopoly in India.
“They say, market has power. We are the largest market. Here in India, WhatsApp/Facebook are abusing their monopoly & taking away millions of users’ privacy for granted,” he said.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a trade association, has also written to the Centre demanding a ban on Facebook and WhatsApp or the implemention of a strict policy that prevents company from rolling out its new rules. “All kinds of personal data, payment transactions, contacts, location and other vital information of a person who is using WhatsApp will be acquired by it and can be used for any purpose,” CAIT alleged.
On Monday, rival messaging apps Signal and Telegram pipped WhatsApp on app stores. Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Analyst, Founder and CEO of Greyhound Research, however, noted that Whtasapp’s user base comprises businesses too, which use it both for internal communication and to speak with customers.
The onus to use secure channels for confidential information, he said, would lie with them. “Organisations scared of losing sensitive data to Facebook and other social media organisations need to first question why such data is being shared on consumer apps,” he said, adding that it raised questions on their policies, investment in security, and user education and onboarding.