Cybertraps Podcast

WhatsApp Pussy Cat? Today Fred and Jethro talk all about WhatsApp, the background, how it’s used, and what to look out for. What Is It? WhatsApp Messenger Who Built It? Brian Acton and Jan Koum, former Yahoo! employees, wrote the first version in 2009 Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion Who Is Using It? Lots and lots of people … Roughly 2 billion monthly users worldwide WhatsApp has users in 109 countries How Are People Using It? Group chats (up to 256 people) Broadcast feature (message to multiple people, reply just to sender) Video Calls (w/ filters) Text Messages Share Videos, Photos, and Audio Messages What Are the Risks Parents Should Consider? No real enforcement of 16+ age rating Potential contact from strangers (no verification of user identity) Multiplatform service (kids can move from device to device) Multiple tools to “hack” WhatsApp Disappearing Messages (Status Feature) Cyberbullying (particularly in group chats) Grooming Live Location Access to Inappropriate Content – It only takes a few seconds to find links to public WhatsApp groups with Hoaxes and Misinformation Some limits on forwarding messages to groups Malware (particularly on PCs and Macs) Sharing of data between WhatsApp and Facebook Multiple security breaches and software flaws Anecdotes and Headlines 2021–08–15 Did America just lose Afghanistan because of WhatsApp? https://prestonbyrne.com/2021/08/15/did-america-just-lose-afghanistan-because-of-whatsapp/ 2021–08–07 WhatsApp CEO calls out Apple over Child Safety tools announcement https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/07/whatsapp-ceo-calls-out-apple-over-child-safety-tools-announcement/ 2021–08–04 Warning issued to anybody who uses WhatsApp as loophole could see strangers access your messages https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/whatsapp-urgent-warning-loophole-hackers–21220126 2021–07–19 Biology teacher, 57, at £40,000-a-year boarding school is struck off after sending naked shower ‘selfie’ to an 18-year-old schoolgirl he told ‘aroused him’ over explicit WhatsApp texts https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article–9803385/Biology-teacher–57-struck-sending-naked-shower-selfie–18-year-old-schoolgirl.html 2020–10–24 ‘She’s no longer hurting or afraid’: Devastated family say final farewell to girl, 12, who killed herself after being hounded with abuse on school laptop during lockdown by bullies who labelled her ‘lesbian emo freak’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article–8874807/Northumberland-suicide-Loved-ones-say-goodbyes-cheeky–12-year-old-schoolgirl.html 2018–12–20 WhatsApp has an encrypted child porn problem https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/20/whatsapp-pornography/ 2018–09–26 The problem with ‘dark social’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/09/26/whatsapp/ 2018–07–19 WhatsApp introduces new limits on message forwarding in an effort to stop deadly lynchings in India https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article–5971935/India-issues-fresh-warning-WhatsApp-lynching-deaths.html 2015–06–15 Sexting, webcams and naked Whatsapp contests: The secret online lives of children https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11674931/Sexting-webcams-and-revenge-porn-Secret-online-lives-of-our-children.html Resources 2021–06–24 Is WhatsApp Safe? 5 Scams, Threats, and Security Risks to Know About https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-security-threats-whatsapp-users-need-know/ 2021–05–10 15 phone apps parents should be aware of: Are any of these on your child’s phone? https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/05/10/pender-sheriffs-office-warns-parents-dangerous-phone-apps/4871525001/ 2020–11–16 Three most dangerous WhatsApp settings that could get you hacked, scammed or exposed https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/13211541/dangerous-whatsapp-settings-hacking/ 2020–03–07 Is WhatsApp Safe for Kids? Here’s What Parents Need to Know https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/family-safety/is-whatsapp-safe-for-kids-heres-what-parents-need-to-know/ n.d. WhatsApp https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/ n.d. WhatsApp: a guide for parents and carers https://parentinfo.org/article/whatsapp-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers n.d. WhatsApp Messenger Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/whatsapp-messenger