The WhatsApp app sparked a wide debate online after a humorous post on the X platform was interpreted by users as a potential privacy breach. Meta-owned app posted on X: «To all the people who end their messages with (lol), we see you and we respect you». Although the post appeared to be an attempt at humor, referencing users who prefer to end messages with «lol» instead of a period, the phrase «we see you» raised doubts and questions among users about the confidentiality of encrypted conversations within the app. Users widely shared the post, garnering over 6.9 million views on X, with comments ranging from sarcasm to concern. One user asked: «We see you? How? What about end-to-end encryption?», another wrote: «So there is no privacy at all», while a third joked: «Break end-to-end encryption». WhatsApp has used end-to-end encryption since 2016, which ensures that only the sender and recipient can read the content of messages, with no possibility of access by any third party, even the company itself. The app emphasizes on its official website that: «Privacy and security are core to who we are, and that's why we built end-to-end encryption into all our services». In the event of decryption, a third party could access the data, which would be a direct violation of the privacy principle. Because WhatsApp has always stressed in its previous statements its absolute commitment to end-to-end encryption, many saw the recent post as conflicting with this policy. One user wrote on X: «So, end-to-end encryption is just a lie», while another commented: «It's amazing that people even believe end-to-end encryption is effective in the first place». Some users went as far as to call for the firing of WhatsApp's social media manager, with one jokingly writing: «This person has already been fired», and another: «Tomorrow: Breaking news 'WhatsApp' fires social media manager». In the face of this controversy, WhatsApp clarified that the phrase «we see you» was meant metaphorically, not literally, and confirmed in an official response: «Your private messages stay between you and the person you're talking to. When it's on, your messages, photos, videos, documents, and calls are protected from falling into the wrong hands». The system works by generating unique encryption keys that are automatically granted only to the two parties in the conversation, preventing any third party from reading the messages as they are transmitted. The phrase «we see you» was intended to express our understanding of those who love to use (lol) at the end of their messages.
