[twhb]

Iran blocks every major foreign messaging app, except WhatsApp. Signal escaped it until now only because they had so few users. Also keep in mind that while WhatsApp claims to use the Signal protocol, they installed a backdoor that allows them to MITM conversations. So yes, I’d say it’s virtually guaranteed that WhatsApp is sending unencrypted message data to Iran, and of course to the US too.

[kolmogorov]

https://signal.org/blog/there-is-no-whatsapp-backdoor/

[twhb]

HN discussion of that post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13394900

I guess I'm coming down hard on one side of a controversial question, but in my mind, if it allows the server to intercept messages without users knowing about it under the default configuration, it's a backdoor.

[egberts]

“There’s no backdoor.”

— Perhaps the door is cracked (or ajar) and a microphone is listening in ... still?

[oarsinsync]

> [WhatsApp] installed a backdoor that allows them to MITM conversations

Citation?