New Delhi, May 25: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused Meta-owned WhatsApp of exporting users’ data every night. Musk’s comments came in response to an X user who claimed that WhatsApp analyzes and uses exported data for targeted advertising, turning users into products rather than customers.
Musk supported the claim, stating, “WhatsApp exports your user data every night. Some people still think it is secure.”
As of now, Meta and WhatsApp have not responded to Musk’s allegations.
John Carmack, a computer programmer and video game developer, questioned Musk’s claim, asking for evidence that the content of messages is ever scanned or transmitted. He added, “I assume usage patterns and routing metadata are collected, and if you invoke a bot in a conversation you are obviously opening it up, but I am still under the impression that the message contents are secure by default.”
Musk has previously criticized Mark Zuckerberg-run Meta Platform, labeling it as “super greedy” for taking credit for advertisers who run campaigns on its platform. The rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg is well known, with the two tech leaders previously considering a “cage fight,” which ultimately never took place.
Meta and WhatsApp have yet to provide a statement regarding these new allegations.
