for the ones using WA on FP Open OS or a custom ROM:
Does WA work properly for you?
According to their FAQ:
“Custom ROMs and rooted phones aren’t supported by WhatsApp. There are too many variations in these customizations for us to maintain a working product. Furthermore, custom ROMs and rooting don’t allow the WhatsApp security model to function as intended. If you’re using a custom ROM or rooted phone, other apps may be able to read your messages despite the end-to end-encryption. ”
I’m wondering why in that case their security model wouldn’t work too…anyone got an idea?
I think what they may mean is that on a custom rom the os has any rights and on a rooted phone an app you give root access has any rights to read all data, e.g. private keys used to encrypt WA conversation.
I grudgingly use WhatsApp on FPopen, and it works fine. You just have to disable battery optimisations for it, or you won’t get notifications.
Keep in mind that WhatsApp isn’t secure, period. Facebook’s reading along - especially if you have the Facebook app installed.
But the text you quoted above is mostly scaremongering, as I see it - the end-to-end encryption will work on a rooted device just as well as on an unrooted device, unless WhatsApp stores its keys improperly and relies on apps simply not having access to the root directory, which I really hope isn’t the case. I do know that last time I checked, using the desktop web client means completely forgoing encryption.
Good hint, thanks.
I’d also prefer to not use it at all, but it still remains a bit difficult.
Even if FB is reading along, at least I’d like to not share it with even more people
