WhatsApp responded to the engineer, pointing out that it is possibly an Android bug and they have contacted Google to fix it.
A serious accusation against WhatsApp has sounded on social networks in recent hours: a Twitter engineer accuses the app of recording with the microphone in the background without his consent.
This statement has caused Elon Musk to state that “the app cannot be trusted”, while the company has requested an investigation from Google for “an Android error”
The case
The engineer Foad Dabiri published an image in which his Pixel 7 Pro phone shows the use of the microphone in the early hours of the morning.
“ WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was sleeping, and since I woke up at 6 am (and that’s only part of the timeline!) What’s happening?” he points out.
WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6AM (and that’s just a part of the timeline!) What’s going on? pic.twitter.com/pNIfe4VlHV
— Foad Dabiri (@foaddabiri) May 6, 2023
Elon Musk , CEO of Twitter , first commented “how strange” on the post, but then shared another message: “ WhatsApp cannot be trusted ”. Said tweet has more than 130 thousand likes on the platform.
Clearly, the case has sparked a debate on the social network, where thousands of users have expressed concern about their privacy.
WhatsApp cannot be trusted https://t.co/3gdNxZOLLy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
whatsapp reply
The messaging service responded to the viral publication, disclaiming any responsibility in this regard.
“Over the last 24 hours we have been in contact with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp . We believe that it is an error in Android that attributes erroneous information in its privacy panel and we have asked Google to investigate and correct it ”, refers to the main account of the app.
WhatsApp ended its statement by noting that “users have full control over their microphone settings.”
“Once permission is granted, WhatsApp only accesses the microphone when a user is making a call or recording a voice note or video, and even then, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot listen to them . ” , it reads.
Over the last 24 hours we’ve been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp.
We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate. https://t.co/MnBi3qE6Gp
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) May 9, 2023