New Delhi: Meta-owned WhatsApp and Google have acknowledged a bug that appears to be permitting WhatsApp to entry telephones’ microphones unnecessarily on some Android gadgets. The difficulty first surfaced a month in the past, however it obtained renewed consideration after a Twitter engineer talked about it in a publish boosted by Elon Musk, studies Engadget.
Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri just lately shared a picture that raised issues concerning the app’s privateness practices. The picture appeared to indicate that the app’s microphone was constantly working within the background, even when not in use. (Also Read: Google I/O 2023: These Products Are Going To Be Unveiled Today At The Event)
Dabiri tweeted a screenshot from the Privacy Dashboard on his Android machine, which revealed how continuously the app accessed his microphone and digital camera. (Also Read: Realme 11 Pro+ 5G To Launch In India Soon: Check Price, Specs, And More)
“WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background, while I was asleep and since I woke up at 6 a.m. (and that’s just a part of the timeline!) What’s going on?,” he tweeted. Later, Musk retweeted Dabiri’s publish, saying “WhatsApp cannot be trusted”. (Also Read: Google I/O 2023: These Products Are Going To Be Unveiled Today At The Event)
According to an announcement shared on Twitter by WhatsApp, the issue was attributable to an Android-related difficulty relatively than inappropriate microphone entry by the messaging app.
“We believe this is a bug on Android that mis-attributes information in their Privacy Dashboard and have asked Google to investigate and remediate,” the corporate stated.