Thousands are swapping their number in WhatsApp – should you?

New York City — Dec. 30, 2020 — With 2 billion+ users across the globe, WhatsApp is by far the most popular and used messaging app. But, as 2020 draws to a close, more and more WhatsApp users are feeling uneasy with their mobile number being easily visible on the wildly popular messaging app.

Call it peace of mind or being overly cautious, but one crucial fact remains inescapable; of the key pieces of data that hackers seek, a person’s mobile phone number is the holy grail. Having access to a personal phone number offers cyber thieves and other prying eyes an important port of entry for accessing private records, bank accounts, and other vital personal information such as location.

So, what’s the risk?

It’s worth pointing out WhatsApp shares data with their parent company Facebook (and also shares with other Facebook affiliated companies). Data such as:

• The phone number you verified when you signed up for WhatsApp
• Your device information such as operating system version, app version, and platform information
• Your mobile country code and network code, and flags to enable tracking
• Your usage information such as when you last used WhatsApp and the date you first registered your account, and the types and frequency of your features usage.

“The number one problem with all social messaging apps, and not just WhatsApp, is their need for a mobile number to use the app. Unwittingly and seemingly without much alternative, we share our mobile numbers often freely, without concern for our privacy.”
Jack Flanagan co-founder of Simvacy

On top of that, with 45 million messages being sent and received every minute in WhatsApp, thousands of users every day are becoming aware that their personal mobile number is visible to anyone in their chat feed. Pertinently, it’s the “contacts” that have the faintest connection to the user - for example in group chats. This has led to WhatsApp users swapping their number to a new one that is unattached to their personal data and details whilst retaining all their important relationships and conversations.

As concern grows about the lack of privacy on messaging platforms tied to mobile numbers, Simvacy has introduced an easy, powerful and incredibly affordable option that gives control back to users – a digital number that is unattached to any personal details or data. With a fast and straightforward set-up, anyone who uses WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat and more can have a new number that is completely detached from their personal mobile number and, importantly, their data.

Learn more https://www.simvacy.com.

30 N Gould St, STE R Sheridan, Wyoming 82801
Jack Flanagan - CCO/Co-founder
jack@simvacy.com

"Our mission is to help people without digital backgrounds build and grow their privacy"

In the United States alone, data breaches exposed 4.1 billion user records in the first six months of 2019. In the UK, there has been a 32% year-on-year increase in identity fraud — a staggering 223,163 cases were recorded which is the sharpest rise in the last five years. Today, corporations can track your digital footprint, your most private habits as well as your facial features. Our personal data is stored and shared with multiple third-parties, most of which are unbeknown to us or buried deep in legal jargon.

The number one problem with all social messaging apps is their need for a mobile number to use the app. Unwittingly and seemingly without much alternative, we share our mobile numbers often freely, without concern for our privacy.

With practically every fragment of our lives now available digitally, the need to be responsible with our digital footprint is increasingly critical to our personal security. Simvacy’s ongoing mission is to help people regain control of their mobile identity

This release was published on openPR.