Because you set up conditional call forwarding, similarly to Google Voice and Youmail, you need to remove that if you're uninstalling the app. Dial ##004# and press call if you're on AT&T to set your voicemail back to your carrier voicemail.
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'WhoApp' Provides Users With Detailed Unknown Caller Information for Free [Updated]
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Because you set up conditional call forwarding, similarly to Google Voice and Youmail, you need to remove that if you're uninstalling the app. Dial ##004# and press call if you're on AT&T to set your voicemail back to your carrier voicemail.
You consent when you install the app. It's the users responsibility to read the privacy policy before installing the app.
Pretty much everybody on this thread will already have their data harvested in this way by other apps such as WhatsApp. Even if you don't use it, someone who has you in their contacts will. And there's not much you can do about that...
I resisted installing WhatsApp for a long time for that reason, but realised that resistance was actually futile, since my kids, wife, and extended family members used it. Then, my son moved to a different country for work and that meant I had to install it just to make keeping in touch easier.
It was a trade off between privacy and convenience for me there, and privacy lost.
I resisted installing WhatsApp for a long time for that reason, but realised that resistance was actually futile, since my kids, wife, and extended family members used it. Then, my son moved to a different country for work and that meant I had to install it just to make keeping in touch easier.
It was a trade off between privacy and convenience for me there, and privacy lost.
Pray tell, how is your company going to make money so that you can keep the lights on? You have a free app with no subscription model.
Your privacy policy seems to state that you share the contact information you receive with other companies -- "affiliates" is a vague term that can mean just about anything. Surely you know that there are phone numbers in people's iPhones that are not public knowledge (Tim Cook's number, Jony Ive's number, celebrities, etc.) Even if you de-link the name of the person providing the contact data with the data itself, you're still going to potentially have some pretty sensitive phone numbers which cannot be found in an online database.
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Whatsapp does not upload and store the entire content of your address book. It only sends phone numbers to check whether they can be reached via Whatsapp (and of course you can prevent even that by not giving it permission to access your contacts). They also have a much clearer privacy policy.
https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/20971813
"WhatsApp looks at the phone numbers in your address book and then checks to see which of those numbers are verified in WhatsApp. This allows any WhatsApp users from your address book to appear as contacts in your Favorites list (Contacts tab on Android) and the Chats screen. During this entire process, only phone numbers are sent to WhatsApp for lookup"
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Not to mention home and work addresses, employers, job titles, birthdays, email addresses ...
Here's the full "how to undo the voicemail" instructions, taken directly from the WhoApp website:
Correct - I don't think I said WhatsApp uploads the entire content of your address book, but thanks for clarifying that anyway.
My point was, lots of apps already upload some type of content from users' address books. Whether that be 'just' phone numbers (which is bad enough), full contact details, or something in between. So chances are we're all boned
You wrote that they were harvesting our data. But a phone number without an identity attached to it is pretty useless. I doubt they even record them.
I think there's a pretty big difference. And if you don't want the app to scan your contacts for reachable numbers, you don't have to. The app still works perfectly fine.My point was, lots of apps already upload some type of content from users' address books. Whether that be 'just' phone numbers (which is bad enough), full contact details, or something in between. So chances are we're all boned
Ok everyone, I get it. They're spoofed. But how is that possible? Is there no mechanism which can prevent that from happening? I can talk about end to end encryption all day and mostly keep up, but simple landline phones I have no freaking idea lol. On the surface, it sounds like we need to overhaul how phones and/or phone numbers work in the first place. Also, it sounds like part of the problem is that there's no standardized VOIP protocol—some common system to reach anyone with something simple like a user name. Too many competing platforms. Unfortunately whatever new system that comes about probably wouldn't have end-to-end encryption and make it even easier for the government to spy on us.
Anyone know if FaceTime and audio-only FT uses end-to-end encryption?
Not really. With certain types of access to the telephony network (such as a so-called primary rate interface that is e.g. used by enterprises) you can set your own caller ID. The carriers generally do not verify the ID once it has entered the network. In particular many VoIP providers have such an access and allow their customers to set the caller ID. It's really no safer than the From: address in an email these days.
BTW, the same company that makes WhoApp conveniently also offers a caller ID spoofing service ...
Yes they do (although Apple could theoretically mount a man-in-the-middle attack since they manage the keys).
From the app itself
"When you give WhoApp permission to do so, WhoApp accesses your mobile phone’s address book and collects the names, phone numbers, addresses and certain other information about your contacts ("Contact Information"). WhoApp incorporates Contact Information into a database that it maintains of all its users’ contacts (“Contacts Database “). When your Contact Information is incorporated into the Contacts Database, it is no longer linked or linkable back to you. The Contacts Database is used by WhoApp and by apps that are offered by the company that offers WhoApp (or its affiliates) to fulfill customers’ requests for service and to improve each app’s services for its customers. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IF YOUR PHONE’S ADDRESS BOOK CONTAINS AN ENTRY FOR YOU, THATINFORMATION WILL BE DOWNLOADED TO THE CONTACTS DATABASE JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION."
Why do we need more regulations when i can block the number locally? We don't need no more stinking regulations.
I agree with you 100%. Regulations are not the correct answer to the problem. Besides, how is U.S. law really going to affect some guy sitting halfway around the world who can easily spoof his phone number, IP address, etc.? Answer: it won't.
And don't even get me started on the complete joke that the "Do Not Call" list is.
Probably a privacy nightmare ....
BUT Whatsapp did the same back in 2009-2010 when they started and at that time, iOS didn't even ask for your permission for the app to access your contact list! I've heard a lot of concerns about privacy for Whatsapp but they got away. That's why they were worth $19 billion to Facebook. I never agreed to share my contact list to Facebook messenger but they've got mine anyway through Whatsapp.
BUT Whatsapp did the same back in 2009-2010 when they started and at that time, iOS didn't even ask for your permission for the app to access your contact list! I've heard a lot of concerns about privacy for Whatsapp but they got away. That's why they were worth $19 billion to Facebook. I never agreed to share my contact list to Facebook messenger but they've got mine anyway through Whatsapp.
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The app will not even work for me. Everytime I enter in my phone number to sign up it says, "Your phone number is not compatible with Whoapp at this time." My phone number is from Verizon. Oh well no biggie...
So this is the phone extension of the internet "You Have A Virus! Pay Me $XX And I'll Clean Your Computer!"??
They've moved their model to our mobile(computers) where they'll get the same info they've scared us (unknown calls) into asking them to protect us from (WhoApp)?
Sigh. Devious rat-tards.
If it's not a number you recognize, or no caller ID, and they don't leave a voicemail, it's likely SPAM. Do you need WhoApp to tell you that? This cannot block such calls coming to you. Seems useless to me. I just keep my iPhone in Do Not Disturb mode, with the exception being callers on my favorites list. Everyone else can wait for my response.