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Whisper CTO says tracking “anonymous” users not a big deal, really

  • 17 October 2014
  • 5 replies
  • 1261 views
Jasper_The_Rasper
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Says Guardian article was “laughable,” then gets schooled by Moxie Marlinspike.

by Sean Gallagher - Oct 17 2014
 
On Thursday, the Guardian reported that the developers of Whisper, an social media platform that allows individuals to post anonymous messages that can be seen by others based on a number of factors, isn’t all that anonymous after all. Whisper, which is advertised as “the safest place on the Internet,” tracks geolocation data of posters, and uses their location data for a number of purposes—including censorship and reporting of posts from military bases to the Department of Defense. Whisper’s chief technology officer took to YCombinator’s Hacker News to defend the company against the report, but his explanation was torn apart by security and privacy experts in the discussion that followed.
Much like its competitor Secret, Whisper allows individuals to post anonymous messages overlaid on images or photos to share with others for comment. The application uses geolocation data to determine where the poster is and who should be able to see its contents.  It has become popular with a number of communities, including members of the military.
 
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Jasper_The_Rasper
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See Also Revealed: how Whisper app tracks ‘anonymous’ users
 
by Lisa Vaas on October 27, 2014
 
 


 
The US Senate has a few privacy-related questions it would like to ask the people in charge at Whisper, the self-proclaimed "safest place on the internet".
Earlier this month, The Guardian published three articles alleging that Whisper's supposedly anonymous messaging service tracks even those who opt out of geolocation, that it shares what's supposed to be anonymous content with the Department of Defense, and that its user data is collated and stored indefinitely in a searchable database.
What's more, the Guardian reported, Whisper stores and processes its user information in the Philippines, contrary to what its policy said at the time about storing such information in the US.
 
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R
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Whisper is a joke to say the least.............they lure you in stating the safest on the web and behind your back they are tracking information which can be used by third party's
nic
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Agreed - I installed it to try it out.  It asked for permission to use my location.  I say No.  Then I do a test post...and it uses my location.  
shorTcircuiT
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@ wrote:
Agreed - I installed it to try it out.  It asked for permission to use my location.  I say No.  Then I do a test post...and it uses my location.  
LOL, you might be anonymous, but we know where you are 😉
Jasper_The_Rasper
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by Lisa Vaas on January 22, 2015
 
 


 
Following an internal investigation, the editor-in-chief who flat-out denied The Guardian's allegations that Whisper, the secret-sharing app, tracks even those users who've opted out of geolocation has left the company.
Neetzan Zimmerman - former editor of the "anonymous" app that brags about being the "safest place on the Internet" - has joined The Hill, a Washington DC publication.
According to Capital New York, Whisper suspended Zimmerman and other staffers in late October so that it could conduct an internal investigation.
 
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