The advancement in technology has made our life easier. We can easily communicate with our loved ones regardless of our geographical position. All we need is a smart device with an active internet connection. Back in 2009, WhatsApp started its journey with a simple vision to provide easy means of communication. Slowly it gained huge popularity due to its easy interface and secured data transmission protocol.
In 2014, WhatsApp was bought by Facebook even though their vision remained the same till now. Since private messages and sophisticated information was shared by millions of users on this platform, Facebook focused more on their security. All the messages are now being transferred by maintaining an end-to-end encryption protocol.
What is encryption?
Encryption is nothing but an advanced method to secure digitally transmitted data. The messages that you sent via WhatsApp are encrypted with a smart algorithm so that the hackers can’t gain access to your information. Once you send any message to your friend via WhatsApp, it will remain encrypted till it reaches the user end. Such precautions have made things hard for the notorious cybercriminals. Even if they manage to get a bit of encrypted information, it is nearly impossible to extract the original message.
Cost-effective communication
With the help of WhatsApp, you can communicate with your friends or any person in the world without paying the telecom service provider. As this service is completely free, some of the users might think that the security of this app is at great risk. In reality, you are passively paying to WhatsApp. Since the application relies on an active internet connection, you need to purchase data from your mobile carrier to unlock its full functionality.
Privacy options
Being an active user of WhatsApp, you can easily customize the privacy settings. For instance, you can determine profile and status visibility within a minute. Moreover, the engineers are continuously working hard to add more features to this platform so that the users can secure their vital information from anonymous hackers. To learn more about privacy options and settings, you may visit their official website. If necessary, you may also watch YouTube videos and learn the basics settings to reinforce your privacy settings in the WhatsApp platform.
Reinforcing your security
It’s true, WhatsApp has done tremendous work in providing a secured communication gateway. However, this doesn’t mean that you are entrusted with a fail-proof platform. For instance, if your smartphone gets compromised due to a malware attack, chances are very high that the hackers will gain sophisticated information. The best way to avoid such critical issues is to rely on the advanced antivirus program. Feel free to compare antivirus software here. Once you learn more about the different antivirus programs, you will know which program will serve best for you. By doing the basic research and installing a reputed antivirus program on your smart device, you can easily reinforce your security protocol.
Date storage centre
You might be thinking that WhatsApp is storing the data in a private server. It’s true to a certain extent but they are stored in their highly secured data center in an encrypted medium. As soon as the message is delivered to the receiver, the data is deleted from the WhatsApp server. Since the data will be stored in your device, you need to be cautious about your smartphone device's safety. The prevent data theft, it is highly recommended that you never share your phone password or OTP even with your close friends.
Managing the conversation
Regular WhatsApp users know very well that they can securely manage their conversations by deleting sensitive information. Even if you can delete the message sent to the receiver within 1 hour. If the receiver fails to get the message within 30 days, the message will be deleted from the WhatsApp server and the receiver device. So, if a well-protected device is lost, there is no easy way for the hackers are going to get sensitive information. In fact, within the next 30 days, the message is going to be destroyed forever.
Does that mean WhatsApp is safe?
The absolute answer is YES. However, you need to ensure your device's safety first. Always use updated applications and make sure you have installed the smart antivirus. Some people often think that having antivirus in their smartphone device is going to make them immune from hackers. In reality, you hackers can rely on social engineering techniques and get access to your device with great ease. You need to be aware of the most common tactics used by the hackers as they will keep you safe.
No can company can claim that their software is 100% safe. The hackers will continuously try to penetrate users’ information. The users need to use applications smartly and ensure the basic safety protocol.
Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
