Why is Zuckerberg right to mock iMessage?


Mathieu Grumiaux

October 18, 2022 at 1:50 p.m.

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Apple iMessage © DenPhotos / Shutterstock.com

© Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock

The Meta founder pointed to iMessage’s security shortcomings, compared to his own WhatsApp messaging.

Mark Zuckerberg and Apple, it’s a complicated story that has been getting worse for a few months.

Meta attacks Apple on its favorite subject and scores points

A few months ago, Apple introduced a new mechanism for protecting personal data on iOS, in order to limit the collection of data carried out by the giants of the Web from their applications. Meta was the first company to be affected, with a loss estimated by the group at nearly $10 billion in a single year.

It was obvious that the group was not going to remain without reacting, and it is Mark Zuckerberg who puts a coin in the machine. He attacked Apple on its own ground, namely respect for privacy, via an advertising campaign for WhatsApp instant messaging.

It is amusing to see the young billionaire present himself today as a defender of personal data, while his group, and Facebook more specifically, are dragging huge pots on the subject. Nevertheless, the man has some convincing arguments to make.

WhatsApp, a more secure and cross-platform messaging system, yet lagging behind in the United States

The poster, which will be deployed in many cities in the United States, uses the famous image of blue bubbles and green bubbles, to which is added a WhatsApp bubble, a ” private bubble according to the displayed message.

WhatsApp ad iMessage © © Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram

© Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg details in his post his grievances towards iMessage. He explains that if the messages are encrypted through Apple’s instant messaging service, they are not when sent by SMS to correspondents on Android. This is not the case with WhatsApp, which operates end-to-end encryption between the different platforms.

The CEO of Meta continues by recalling the introduction of a feature of ephemeral messages which disappear once read. iMessage does not integrate this system, yet very useful for sharing intimate or private information without leaving a trace. He ends his plea to WhatsApp by stating that its service offers encrypted cloud backups. On this point, Zuckerberg is right again. Messages that pass through iMessage are stored in iCloud backups, and the latter are not encrypted on Apple’s servers.

However, if WhatsApp is more secure than iMessage, Meta still has a lot of work to do to change the habits of American users. While its messaging has met with immense success around the world, it is far from having the same impact compared to iMessage in the United States, well helped by the market share of the iPhone on US soil which is just over 50 %.

Source : The Verge



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