Meta's WhatsApp Is Encrypted but Still Scans Your Stuff

WhatsApp says messages are end-to-end encrypted. That means only you and the recipient can read them. That is true. But metadata is not encrypted. Who you talk to. When. How often. That data goes to Meta.

Meta uses metadata to build social graphs. They know who your closest friends are. Even without reading messages. They know when you are awake. When you sleep. Who you argue with.

In 2024, WhatsApp introduced AI stickers. That AI runs on your phone. But it still needs to send data to Meta's servers sometimes. Privacy advocates worry. WhatsApp says it is safe. But they said that about Facebook too.

For beginners, use WhatsApp because your friends use it. But know its limits. For truly sensitive conversations, consider Signal. It encrypts metadata too. WhatsApp is convenient. Signal is private. Choose your trade-off.