Responding to criticism WhatsApp plans one-time messages

Status: 14.06.2021 11:19 a.m.

The WhatsApp chat service is responding to the growing criticism of its market power. The fears of many users are to be allayed with new functions for the protection of privacy. The WhatsApp chat service wants to stick to the complete encryption and is promising new functions to protect privacy. The company, which belongs to the US group Facebook, is launching an advertising campaign on data protection in Germany and Great Britain today. The countries are among their most important markets. Management’s ideas include the ability to send messages that the recipient can only view once. That could be useful, for example, if you have to send family members a password, said WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart.

06/02/2021

Users also want to be able to set that chats disappear on their own after a certain period of time. “Overall, people don’t want their messages to last forever,” said Cathcart. “When we talk, we don’t have a recording device with us. So it’s strange that digital chat platforms save them forever.” The short promotional videos say that content sent on WhatsApp is basically only visible in clear text to the users involved thanks to the so-called end-to-end encryption.

Privacy activists alerted

WhatsApp has recently come under pressure for various reasons: On the one hand, the Announcement of the new usage rules caused criticism. Data protectionists warned that WhatsApp could increase data exchange with third-party companies and, above all, that data would also be shared with the parent company Facebook. WhatsApp rejected this and emphasized several times that the end-to-end encryption, with which the service itself does not have access to content, will not be weakened. WhatsApp boss Cathcart admitted errors in the announcement of the new rules. WhatsApp has not made it clear enough what you are doing and why: “We only became clearer when we saw the confusion. That is our responsibility,” said Cathcart.

05/29/2021

More than two billion users

In view of the criticism, many people have apparently looked around for alternatives to the chat service. The company currently has more than two billion users. It is not known how many actually migrated. A vast majority of users who have already been asked to agree to the new rules would have accepted them, said Cathcart. He did not give exact numbers. Originally, users who do not agree to the new rules should lose access to basic functions over time. Meanwhile they no longer face any consequences . Only the new functions for communication with companies will only be able to be used after approval of the update. According to WhatsApp, they were the main reason for changing the terms of use.

05/15/2021

Attempt a charm offensive

The company’s move could have another reason: The parent company Facebook is currently not only under close observation in the USA . Last year, federal authorities and states filed lawsuits against the Internet giant Google and the online platform Facebook. They are accused of anti-competitive practices. The market power of the large technology groups is now seen as a problem by many governments around the world. Consumer advocates also warn: “The market power of the Facebook group forces users to communicate via WhatsApp,” says Lina Ehrig, the head of the digital and media team at the Federation of German Consumer Organizations. “From the consumer’s point of view, it would be ideal if messenger services are legally and technically designed in such a way that sustainable competition and the innovative strength of the market are promoted.” In order to promote competition, so-called interoperability would be a possible means from the point of view of consumer advocates: As a survey by the consumer advice center shows, around a third of users would be willing to switch messengers if messages could be shared between different providers.

Encryption dispute

For its part, Cathcart is targeting governments. They tried to soften the encryption in chat services. “I hope that, over time, governments will see that the most important role they can play is to keep people safe.” This could be done, for example, by setting standards for companies.

02/09/2020

WhatsApp argues with governments that end-to-end encryption helps protect the security of citizens. Facebook is still sticking to the plan to bring full encryption to its second chat service Messenger as the next step, said Cathcart. In several countries, governments and authorities are attempting the Complete encryption in chat services like WhatsApp . In Germany, too, there is a draft law with which the protection of the constitution is supposed to enable source telecommunications monitoring in encrypted chat services as well.

Dispute over ECB bond purchases Get together!

As of: June 9th, 2021 6:05 p.m.

It is understandable that the EU Commission is reacting to the Karlsruhe ECB ruling with proceedings against Germany. But that won’t resolve the dispute. Only the courts themselves can do that. A comment from Frank Bräutigam, ARD legal editors If anyone at Karlsruhe’s Schlossplatz had hoped that the high waves after the Karlsruhe ECB judgment of May 2020 would fizzle out silently, they were disappointed today. The EU Commission is initiating infringement proceedings against Germany because of a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. ´ That has never happened before. The relationship between Karlsruhe and Luxembourg has always been somewhat tense. But this is now a unique escalation.

Do not lose sight of questions of democracy

The starting point of the Federal Constitutional Court on EU issues is absolutely correct and important. To see that the legal limits remain an important currency at the EU level. Because one must not lose sight of the individual voter, i.e. questions of democracy. Because the individual states have not given up all their competences to the EU. With its “yes, but” approach, the court has achieved a lot in several rulings since the financial crisis in 2012 at the latest. In this specific case of the ECB bond purchase, pulling the emergency brake, accusing the ECB and ECJ of arbitrary action, went too far.

The EU Commission had to react

That was not proportionate: in terms of content, but also with a view to the possible role model effect for other states such as Poland or Hungary. What happens there in terms of content within the judiciary is of course not comparable to Germany. Nevertheless, there is this bare result: The German court does not adhere to what the ECJ says. Then why should we do this? The fact that, from its point of view, the EU Commission must therefore react and initiate a procedure – which is understandable.

Dilemma for several actors at the same time

But you also have to be aware that if you think through the process started today, it will lead several actors into a real dilemma. First of all, the federal government, which now has to take a position as a first step. What is she supposed to do? Somehow signal an independent court to correct its judgment or take other action? And in the last step, the ECJ would decide on a breach of contract. Who? Yes exactly. One of the arguing actors. He would be a kind of judge in his own case. Would that lead to a good solution?

Take “cooperation relationship” at its word

Arguing over who “has the last word” is almost always devastating. In private life, in politics and also within a network of national and European courts. It is the last thing the citizens of the EU need in these times. If the “cooperation relationship” between the courts can be heard in many speeches, this must be taken literally. Mind you: the courts cooperate with each other. Not the courts with the state and the EU. They are supposed to strictly control these two. The fact that there is often still room for improvement at the ECJ on this point has expressly contributed to this conflict.

It is the courts’ turn

An example from the two companies at issue here shows that cooperation is fundamentally possible. Because the First Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court (the Second Senate acts in the ECB conflict) has shown with important rulings from 2019 that Karlsruhe and Luxembourg can achieve control of national and European fundamental rights in the interests of the citizens together. That means: the current situation can only be defused by the courts themselves. Not from the Federal Government or the EU Commission. The actors from the judiciary know each other. Well, actually. You have to pull yourself together. It is unclear what the one solution to the specific dispute should look like, but there has been no lack of creative ideas in Karlsruhe or Luxembourg for many decades.

Editorial note Comments generally reflect the opinion of the respective author and not that of the editors.

Apple is expanding Facetime On the way to the digital campfire

Status: 08.06.2021 7:46 p.m.

Apple renews its Facetime app. The group is not only reacting to competition from providers such as Zoom, but is also opening up to Windows and Android devices. From Marcus Schuler, ARD studio Los Angeles Apple is slowly opening up to Android and Windows devices with its video chat service Facetime. It’s almost a small revolution – at least by Apple standards. Software boss Craig Federighi sold the news as follows: “Not only Apple devices can do something with the Facetime link. Users with Android or Windows can also open it directly in their browser and take part in the chat.” So far, Apple has struggled when it came to opening up core functionalities on its iPhone or desktop computers. But the popularity of video chat services like Zoom has exploded in the Corona crisis. Apple reacts precisely to this development and has given its Facetime app a fundamental facelift.

Competition for Zoom

From there, you can send links to friends with Android phones or Windows computers in order to meet with them in the Facetime chat. Marc Gurman, an analyst at the Bloomberg business service, says Apple is primarily competing with Zoom. Among other things, with scheduling and improved sound and picture quality. The new Facetime app is supposed to deliver a bit of a digital campfire. With the help of the app, you will be able to listen to music and watch videos together in the future without interrupting the chat. It should be possible to watch programs together with friends. Ambient noises should be better suppressed in the chat app. There will also be a portrait mode that blurs the background.

More control and more data protection as an issue

The second big innovation on Apple’s smartphones concerns the notification functions. They give users more control over how and when they want to be disturbed or undisturbed. “There are new features with which you can adapt the notifications to different activities. For example, while you are working or want to be undisturbed,” says analyst Gurman. Data protection and privacy have been playing an increasingly important role at Apple for the past three years. The Californian company is trying to sharpen its profile in order to differentiate itself more strongly from its competitor Google and its Android system. So-called tracking pixels are now blocked in the Group’s mail app. Advertisers and marketing people are likely to be annoyed with Apple again. You can no longer check whether and where an e-mail has been opened.

According to Chau Vy Dong, thanks to strict diet and persistent exercise, she lost up to 12.5 kg in just one month. Beauty at the same time uploads the fast weight loss menu on social networks.

Chau Vy Dong shares “achievements” after a harsh weight loss process.

Chau Vy Dong said that her weight loss process goes through 4 stages. The first week, the female model only ate eggs, fruits and vegetables as well as exercising for 1 hour / day to adapt her body.

In the weeks that followed, she began using a fasting method to flush toxins out of her body. In particular, in the last 12 days, female stars do not eat any food, only drink water three times a day.

Finally, after a month of severe weight loss, she gained a slim body, slim breasts.

However, Sina commented that Chau Vy Dong’s weight loss method is too dangerous, harmful to health both physically and mentally. Drinking water continuously for 12 days can cause the body to be depleted due to lack of nutrients, the small stomach is atrophy and lead to many other consequences.

On social networks, many viewers condemned Chau Vy Dong’s dangerous weight loss method, and at the same time urged people not to apply.

The shape of Chau Vy Dong. Photo: Weibo.

In recent times, many Chinese stars are said to promote unhealthy beauty standards, especially the movement to show off a thin body with a slim body and a small waistline.

This strongly affects the perception of young people, who are always studying according to idols. Many young people have to be hospitalized because of the extreme weight loss method introduced online or from the sharing of the stars.