WhatsApp, with Meta AI new privacy concerns arise

WhatsApp, the end-to-end encrypted messaging app with around 3 billion users worldwide, has long been synonymous with privacy and security in communications. However, the introduction of new features based on artificial intelligence is raising concerns among users and security experts.

Doubts about privacy have emerged

Meta’s introduction of AI capabilities to WhatsApp is a significant step toward innovation, but it has also sparked skepticism. With the integration of new cloud-based AI tools designed to summarize messages and help compose replies more efficiently, users’ privacy is at risk, as interactions with the AI ​​assistant are not encrypted like regular messages.

Meta has attempted to address these concerns with the introduction of Private Processing , a system designed to keep privacy guarantees intact, while still allowing the use of AI. This system, in detail, is designed to process data in such a way that no party, not even Meta or WhatsApp, can access sensitive information .

However, despite the company’s efforts, some security experts remain skeptical. For example, Matt Green, a cryptographer at Johns Hopkins University , told Wired America that while WhatsApp designed Private Processing to be as secure as possible, the idea of ​​sending sensitive data to external servers for AI processing inevitably introduces risks . Because the more data is transferred off-device, the greater the risk that it could be intercepted or exploited by malicious actors.

According to Green, any secure messaging system that uses off-device AI (that is, not processed directly on the user's device) represents an inherently greater risk. The servers that host these AI models become prime targets for hackers , governments, and other entities seeking access to sensitive data.

Furthermore, the number of users who rely on WhatsApp for highly sensitive conversations makes these infrastructures an attractive target for any type of threat.

What are the possible consequences?

Many users appreciate the privacy WhatsApp provides, but growing demand for advanced features, such as AI tools, is changing expectations. According to Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, users now expect tools such as generating summaries or composing intelligent replies.

For Meta, not offering these features would mean pushing users to less secure platforms, a trade-off the company wants to avoid. But that involves a difficult balance between ensuring privacy and introducing tools that, by their very nature, require processing of sensitive data.

Of course, the ability to block the use of AI features through the new Advanced Chat Privacy control is still a step toward greater protection, but the decision to enable it is up to users and chat participants, which could lead to confusion or inconvenience.

The use of AI on secure messaging platforms like WhatsApp is an uncharted field, and privacy concerns may persist for a long time. While we wait for new developments, users need to be more careful about which features to enable and, more importantly, how their privacy is treated in an increasingly digital future.