This story is from July 30, 2016
Your WhatsApp chats never get deleted actually
NEW DELHI: After Facebook-owned WhatsApp rolled out end-to-end encryption, the popular messaging platform ensured users that their chats are secured from any unwanted third-party attention. In fact, WhatsApp joined the league of very few chat apps that offer complete end-to-end encryption. However, a new revelation by security expert has again put a question mark on WhatsApp privacy.
Zdziarski suggests that the only way to completely remove all traces of chats is to remove the WhatsApp entirely from the phone.
“To test, I installed the app and started a few different threads. I then archived some, cleared, some, and deleted some threads. I made a second backup after running the “Clear All Chats” function in WhatsApp. None of these deletion or archival options made any difference in how deleted records were preserved. In all cases, the deleted SQLite records remained intact in the database,” he explained.
If you are thinking that WhatsApp does this purposely then you are wrong. “Just to be clear, WhatsApp is deleting the record (they don’t appear to be trying to intentionally preserve data),” he said.
“This is because SQLite by default does not vacuum databases on iOS (likely in an effort to prevent wear). When a record is deleted, it is simply added to a “free list”, but free records do not get overwritten until later on when the database needs the extra storage (usually after many more records are created),” he added.
The issue seems to affect the iOS app only. There is no reason to panic over this issue. “But you should be aware of WhatsApp’s footprint,” he mentioned.
Zdziarski suggests that the only way to completely remove all traces of chats is to remove the WhatsApp entirely from the phone.
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“To test, I installed the app and started a few different threads. I then archived some, cleared, some, and deleted some threads. I made a second backup after running the “Clear All Chats” function in WhatsApp. None of these deletion or archival options made any difference in how deleted records were preserved. In all cases, the deleted SQLite records remained intact in the database,” he explained.
If you are thinking that WhatsApp does this purposely then you are wrong. “Just to be clear, WhatsApp is deleting the record (they don’t appear to be trying to intentionally preserve data),” he said.
Read Also:
“This is because SQLite by default does not vacuum databases on iOS (likely in an effort to prevent wear). When a record is deleted, it is simply added to a “free list”, but free records do not get overwritten until later on when the database needs the extra storage (usually after many more records are created),” he added.
The issue seems to affect the iOS app only. There is no reason to panic over this issue. “But you should be aware of WhatsApp’s footprint,” he mentioned.
Top Comment
B
Black American
3421 days ago
In order to gain his ends Muhammad recoils from no expedient, and he approves of similar unscrupulousness on the part of his adherents, when exercised in his interest. He profits to the utmost from the chivalry of the Meccans, but rarely requites it with the like. He organizes assassinations and wholesale massacres.His career as tyrant of Medina is that of a robber chief, whose political economy consists in securing and dividing plunder ... He is himself an unbridled libertine and encourages the same passion in his followers. For whatever he does he is prepared to plead the express authorization of the deity. It is, however, impossible to find any doctrine which he is not prepared to abandon in order to secure a political end. This is a disagreeable picture for the founder of a religion, and it cannot be pleaded that it is a picture drawn by an enemy. - David Samuel Margoliouth (1858-1940),OrientalistRead allPost comment
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