Elon Musk says WhatsApp cannot be trusted, ends his chaotic reign as Twitter CEO

Twitter CEO Elon Musk recently urged WhatsApp users not to trust the messaging app that could be secretly listening to their conversations. However, the widely popular messaging app has been receiving a slew of security-related features lately. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, says it spares no effort when it comes to making the app safe and secure for everybody.

As a result, the app is teeming with security features like chat lock, two-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, and more. These features are designed to protect the privacy of users. On top of that, the European Commission stated in March that WhatsApp has agreed to explain changes to EU users' contracts and clarify their effects on their rights.

Now, a new report by HindustanTimes has raised privacy concerns among WhatsApp users. Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri tweeted a screenshot that suggests WhatsApp has been accessing his phone's microphone even when the messaging app is not actively in use. As expected, the tweet raised multiple concerns about the safety of users' privacy on WhatsApp.

Elon Musk's response to Foad Dabiri's concern

Unsurprisingly, Foad Dabiri's tweet gained the attention of Twitter users, as well as Twitter chief executive Elon Musk. "WhatsApp cannot be trusted," Musk said. The tweet from the 51-year-old business magnate instantly drew a response from WhatsApp. According to them, the app constantly uses the microphone due to a bug on Android.

Furthermore, WhatsApp claims it has already discussed the issue with Google and asked the search giant to fix it. According to Dabiri's tweet, WhatsApp has been using the microphone in the background while he was asleep and since he woke up at 6 AM.

WhatsApp responded to this tweet stating, "Over the last 24 hours we've been in touch with a Twitter engineer who posted an issue with his Pixel phone and WhatsApp." The company says the issue is due to a bug on Android that "misattributes" information in the Privacy Dashboard. Also, the tweet suggests they have asked Google to "investigate and remediate."

The tweet also clarified that WhatsApp users have control over their microphone settings. In other words, the messaging app can't access the microphone without approval from the user. WhatsApp accesses the mic during calls or when a user is recording a voice note or video. However, these communications are protected by end-to-end encryption to ensure WhatsApp can't hear them.

Musk, who started an AI-focused company called X.AI to compete against ChatGPT last month, tweeted his response on May 9. The tweet had gained a whopping 275.4K likes and it had 86.3 million views at the time of writing.

Elon Musk finds a new CEO for Twitter

Meanwhile, Musk recently admitted that he has been trying to sell the microblogging site after acquiring it for $44 billion (about £34,884,642,829).

While he hasn't managed to find a buyer for Twitter yet, Musk has announced that he will be stepping down as Twitter CEO. On May 12, Musk revealed that he has found a new CEO. While he did not name the person, Musk confirmed that he will transition to the role of CTO (chief technology officer) within the next few weeks.

While Musk is trying to keep details about his successor under wraps, a former Hollywood executive and a Silicon Valley executive claims Linda Yaccarino could be his choice to lead the company. Yaccarino is a top advertising sales executive at Comcast's NBCUniversal. Last month, Yaccarino interviewed Musk in Miami during an advertising conference.

According to one staffer, Twitter employees indicated that former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer could be the new Twitter CEO. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and Canadian venture capitalist Shivon Zilis were also among the names discussed by the staff on Bind, according to an IndiaToday report. To those unaware, Bind is an anonymous messaging app used by tech employees.