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Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

(www.neowin.net)
469 points bundie | 1 comments | 08 Jul 25 16:11 UTC | HN request time: 0.203s | source
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Matthias247 ◴[08 Jul 25 18:43 UTC] No.44502802[source]▶
How does it work technically?

Does Whatsapp expose these messages via an API? If yes, then it seems like this is not only on Google.

If no: Are they reading data from raw UI widgets? Are they intercepting input controls? Are they intercepting network traffic? That seems unlikely, given its probably end to end encrypted and the decryption happens within the scope of the Whatsapp process.

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1. alok-g ◴[08 Jul 25 20:08 UTC] No.44503593[source]▶
My understanding (may be wrong):

WhatsApp data is encrypted, however, the keys are on the device itself and accessible on Android. There are many third-party apps that support transferring WhatsApp data from one phone to another, and some even claim so between Android and iOS devices. As I understand, the chats are in some usual database format. So anyone having access to the device can read the data even without WhatsApp being there itself (as far as the data is there).