WhatsApp’s new feature might let users message without using their devices.
WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will allow people to send messages without using their mobile phones for the first time. Its web applications and desktop applications need to connect to this device and receive messages.
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However, the new feature allows users to send and receive messages “even if the phone battery is low.” According to WhatsApp, up to four other devices, such as PCs and tablets, can be used simultaneously.
Initially, the new feature will roll out as a beta test for a “small group of users,” and the team plans to improve performance and add features before enabling it for everyone. He said that end-to-end encryption is a crucial advantage of WhatsApp and will also run under this new system.
However, several other messaging apps already have a feature, including competing encrypted signal apps requiring phone registration but no messaging feature. Still, WhatsApp users have long asked for this feature, and they report that there are 2 billion.
In a blog post announcing the move, Facebook engineers stated that this change requires a “rethinking” of the design of the WhatsApp software. The current version “uses the smartphone application as the primary device, making the phone the trustworthy source of all user data. And it is the only device that can encrypt messages end-to-end.
WhatsApp Web and other non-smartphone applications are essentially a mirror of what is happening on the phone. However, this system has significant shortcomings known to many ordinary users, for example, known network applications.
So downloading WhatsApp to another device will disable the WhatsApp network window. The company state WhatsApp network no longer needed to be the source of truth and to ensure the synchronization and protection of user data transparently and securely.”
Therefore, the solution is to provide each device with its own “identity key.” The relevant key is recorded on the same account, which means it does not have to store the message on its own server, which can cause problems.
About privacy:
Moore, a security expert at the antivirus company Eset, said that sending messages on devices, no matter how strong the security, is still a problem. “There are always attackers who want to find a solution,” he said.
“Domestic abusers and stalkers could now have the potential of using this new feature to their advantage, by creating additional endpoints to capture any synchronized private communications.”
He also stated that social engineering is a “growing” threat, and the responsibility lies with the user. It must be aware of possible abuse. He warned: “Therefore, it is essential for people to understand all the devices connected to their accounts. “
