WhatsApp Chief, Will Cathcart, denied reports saying that Facebook plans to scan encrypted messages for ads. He further went on to criticize the latest move of Apple that scans photos for child abuse content.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 03: A persons finger is posed next to the Whatsapp app logo on an iPhone on August 3, 2016 in London, England.
Facebook's Plan to Scan Encrypted Messages for Ads
A report from The Information suggested that the researchers of Facebook are working to pair encryption technology and their ads platform. Essentially, the move will enable the third-party advertisers on the social media giant to access the messages of its users without reading the private exchanges.
The method reportedly goes by the name "homomorphic encryption," wherein a high-end tool powered by artificial intelligence extracts a vague idea of the messages without peeking at the actual text.
The report further disclosed that the group of AI researchers on Facebook includes a former employee of Microsoft.
However, the outlet did not further reveal who it was.
On top of that, The Infomation also said that aside from Facebook, other tech giants are also working to understand the emerging tech of homomorphic encryption, such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
The new tool is hoped to help analyze personal data, such as financial and medical records, without compromising the privacy of a user.
WhatsApp Chief Denies Facebook Plans
It is worth noting that Facebook owns an end-to-end encrypted message app, WhatsApp.
However, as per The Sun, Cathcart put it straight and answered the report by The Information directly, saying that "We're not pursuing homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp."
The head of the messaging platform further noted that he has already been asked about it before.
He also went on to add that "We should be skeptical of technical claims that apps like ours could see messages in 'good' cases only."
Meanwhile, Facebook said that the social media giant is not pursuing homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp as it finds it still too early to do so.
Nevertheless, it is important to point out that the WhatsApp chief only spoke for the messaging app he handles. Facebook also owns Messenger and Instagram, which have direct message features.
Read Also: WhatsApp 'View Once' is a Disappearing Photo Feature, Something Which Instagram Had for a Long Time
WhatsApp Chief Criticizes Apple's Image Scanning
Apple has already confirmed that the Cupertino giant is rolling out a system that allows the company to scan photos for any child abuse content on an iPhone or an iPad.
The Apple image scanning tool was first announced by a security expert and cryptographer, Matthew Green, wherein he further issued security warnings, saying that it could enable surveillance via iPhones.
This time around, Cathcart tweeted that the latest move of the iPhone maker concerns him, saying that it is "a setback or people's privacy all over the world."
The WhatsApp chief also said that "it's not how technology built in free countries works."
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Teejay Boris
