Musk Raises Concerns About WhatsApp Bug Prior to Launching Encrypted Twitter DMs According to WhatsApp, a bug that was recently reported is an issue with Android and not with WhatsApp itself. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, has announced the release of an early version of encrypted direct messages on the platform that will rapidly "grow in sophistication". This move is seen as an effort to entice users to spend more time on the platform by enhancing the privacy of personal communications.
Musk tweeted that the acid test is his inability to access a user's DMs even if someone held a gun to his head. He also mentioned that Twitter users will soon be able to make voice and video calls from their handles. Additionally, he confirmed that users with the latest version of the app can now reply to any message in a thread (not just the most recent) and use any emoji reaction.
Encrypted Messages and Voice Calls are Key Features of the "Everything App" Planned by Musk for Twitter Elon Musk aims to turn Twitter into the "everything app," which will offer users the ability to shop, bank, communicate, and monetize their content. Encrypted messages and voice calls are essential features for this vision. Recently, Musk confirmed that video and voice calls will be coming "later this year" by responding to a Twitter user's inquiry with the letter "X."
Many speculate that "X" is the desired name for Musk's everything app. Last month, Twitter officially merged with X Corp and adopted the company's name, abandoning the Twitter brand. Musk anticipates that Twitter's transformation into the everything app could occur within five years of his takeover of the platform.
Musk has been teasing other features that he says are coming soon, including a podcast platform and a Twitter Live streaming app accessible through devices such as Roku or Apple TV. Twitter will also launch in-line media controls that allow users to design tweets with blog-like layouts and control where media embeds appear in a tweet.
Furthermore, Musk recently criticized WhatsApp, stating that it "cannot be trusted." This remark comes as he promotes Twitter's new encrypted direct messages, emphasizing that privacy is a top priority for the platform.
Musk Criticizes WhatsApp's Encryption Service Prior to Twitter's Encrypted Messaging Launch Elon Musk expressed distrust towards Meta's encrypted messaging service, WhatsApp, just hours before announcing Twitter's plan to launch encrypted messaging. This came after a Twitter engineer, Foad Dabiri, tweeted about a bug where WhatsApp appeared to be recording in the background while he was sleeping. Dabiri asked, "What's going on?"
Musk responded to Dabiri's tweet by stating, "WhatsApp cannot be trusted." WhatsApp responded an hour later to confirm that they had been in touch with Dabiri and indicated that the problem was an issue with Android, not a bug with WhatsApp.
WhatsApp tweeted, "We believe this is a bug on Android that misattributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate."
Google has acknowledged the issue and is "working closely with WhatsApp to investigate," according to a spokesperson. They are currently developing a fix for users.
Musk Criticizes WhatsApp's Encryption Functionality Ahead of Twitter's Encrypted Messaging Launch
Following Foad Dabiri's tweet about a bug in WhatsApp's encrypted messaging service, Elon Musk criticized the Meta-owned company on Twitter. He claimed that WhatsApp founders left Meta/Facebook in disgust and contributed to building Signal, a competitor in the encrypted messaging market. Musk's tweets suggest that he aims to make Twitter a superior encrypted messaging service.
Forbes reports that WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton walked away from Meta/Facebook after Mark Zuckerberg questioned the encryption functionality when making plans to monetize WhatsApp. Musk's public criticism of WhatsApp coincided with his announcement of Twitter's encrypted messaging service, indicating his desire to provide a better privacy-focused option.
Meta responded to the issue with a spokesperson stating that WhatsApp only accesses the microphone during voice calls, voice notes, or video recordings, and those communications are end-to-end encrypted. They did not respond directly to Musk's tweet but noted that Meta can never access private WhatsApp communications. Restarting the Android device was suggested as a solution to the bug, which was first reported by WABetaInfo.
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