Today, almost everyone keeps their personal information on the internet.
As a result, there is a need for the companies holding this data to make sure that it is protected and that the privacy of the owners is respected to the fullest.
In case of any minor glitch, you will find all of your sensitive information ending up in a place you had never wished. In helping the users understand the privacy and security levels afforded to their data by different technology companies, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released its 5th report regarding the “Who Has Your Back” initiative. Some of the results were amazing, while at the same time, there was some disappointing news for other major players such as WhatsApp and Google.
WhatsApp has more than 800 million users, exchanging more than 64 billion messages per day
WhatsApp is probably the most used app today. With a user base of more than 800 million people who send more than 64 billion messages on a single day, this is a lot of information and data that goes through this app. Now that the EFF 2015 report revealed that WhatsApp is among the worst performing apps in terms of user data privacy and security, it suggests that the users’ information may be at risk.
There was some comforting news for the current owner of WhatsApp, which only managed a 4-star rating. However, its closest competitor Google dropped its rating to 3 stars. This means that the level of transparency between this company and the users of their products has drastically reduced from last year’s, which was at its best. Other major players to receive a 4-star rating were Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn and Pinterest. On the other hand, Microsoft, Snapchat and Tumblr were among those who joined Google in the 3-star rating category.
Adobe, Apple and Dropbox among the best security and privacy providers
While the likes of Google and Microsoft are busy dropping their ranks in the EFF rankings, other major players such as Adobe, Apple and Dropbox are making some tremendous strides in this aspect. These companies are the best in terms of securing user data and ensuring that their privacy is maintained. Other companies that joined the above in the 5-star rating category were Yahoo, WordPress, Wikimedia and Sonic.
WhatsApp was, in fact, the only application or rather company that managed only a one-star rating, which means it’s the worst in the aspects of protecting user data. Even though this was the first time this company has been included in this report, it was given a 12 month notice. Nevertheless, it seems nothing really happened with respect to reforming their user privacy policies.
However, the overall user protection levels have gone high since EFF started publishing this report back in 2011. This is so because none of the companies received a 5-star rating, which is contrary to what is in the EFF 2015 report.
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