After a Twitter engineer alleged that WhatsApp had been utilizing his microphone in the background while he slept, Elon Musk stated that WhatsApp cannot be trusted. To back up his assertions, the Twitter employee supplied a screenshot of an Android dashboard.
Musk replied to the tweet by saying that one cannot trust the platform. On the other hand, the head of Twitter is adding voice and video calling capabilities similar to those of WhatsApp to Twitter.
WhatsApp Using Microphone?
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The screenshot of an Android dashboard was posted on Twitter by Foad Dabiri, a Twitter engineer. According to the screenshot, WhatsApp had access to his microphone in the background from 4:20 to 6:53 in the morning.
“WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6 AM (and that’s just a part of the timeline!,” Dabiri posted on Twitter. What is happening?
Elon Musk responded to the tweet by writing, “WhatsApp cannot be trusted.” There is, however, more to this tale.
In a tweet, WhatsApp confirmed the issue and stated that it was caused by an Android bug that “misattributes information in their privacy dashboard.” The user’s phone was a Google Pixel, and WhatsApp claims to have contacted Google to look into the situation and offer a solution.
The Clarification
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In a subsequent tweet, WhatsApp stated that users have “full control” over their microphone settings and that the microphone is only used when a call is being placed or when a voice note or video is being recorded.
“Over the last 24 hours we’ve been in contact with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp,” the business tweeted.
We think this is an Android problem that incorrectly attributes data in their Privacy Dashboard, and we’ve requested Google to look into and fix it.
Users are in complete control of their microphone settings. Once given permission, WhatsApp only utilises the microphone when a user is on a call, recording a voice note, or creating a video.
Even then, end-to-end encryption ensures WhatsApp is unable to listen in on these conversations.
Same Features For Twitter
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In the meantime, Elon Musk recently tweeted that he was bringing WhatsApp-like features to Twitter.
Users of Twitter will soon be able to send direct messages (DMs) in response to any message in Twitter threads and answer with “any emoji.” Additionally, users will be able to use Twitter to make audio and video calls, similar to what WhatsApp does.
According to Elon Musk’s tweet, you can DM reply to any message in a thread (not just the most recent) and use any emoji to express your reaction. The first version of encrypted DMs should be released tomorrow.
This will quickly become more sophisticated. The key indicator is that even with a pistol to my head, I would not be able to see your direct messages.
Voice and video chat from your handle to anyone using this platform will be available shortly, allowing you to communicate with individuals anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number.