Washington (AFP)

Two billion users around the world: the success of WhatsApp, Facebook's messaging service, cannot be denied but raises the question of the protection of private data and the fight against disinformation.

"We are delighted to share that to date WhatsApp has more than two billion users worldwide," the encrypted messaging application said in a blog post on Wednesday.

Launched in 2011 and bought by Facebook in 2014, WhatsApp claimed 1.5 billion users a few months ago. The parent company, Facebook, has 2.5 billion monthly users worldwide.

"We will not compromise on security because it could put people at risk," said WhatsApp straight away.

Each message sent is "secured" by "strong encryption" similar to "an unbreakable digital lock" protecting information from hackers and criminals, added the messaging.

The latter, like the network in general, must reassure after a series of scandals that have tarnished its image in terms of protection of personal information.

- Security -

Whatsapp admitted last May that it was infected with spyware giving access to content on smartphones. She filed a lawsuit this fall against NSO Group, an Israeli spyware company accused of helping governments from the Middle East to Mexico spy on activists and journalists.

The name of the messenger also circulated last month when independent experts of the United Nations suggested that the smartphone of Jeff Bezos (boss of Amazon) had been hacked by the Saudi crown prince Mohammed ben Salmane, and this via WhatsApp.

The latter denied this information. But for the moment, the doubt remains whole, for lack of conclusions of the investigation.

"Today, we remain as determined as when we started, helping to connect people privately and protecting the personal communication of two billion users around the world," said WhatsApp.

Its success is based on its ease of use for sending instant written or voice messages to one or more people. Users can also make video calls.

Working with the Internet, WhatsApp is also an inexpensive means of communication, hence its immense success in countries like Brazil, where the tariffs of telephone operators are high.

"The messages are only kept on your phone and no one can read them or listen to your calls, not even us," said WhatsApp on Wednesday.

Despite the attacks and doubts, Facebook has erected its very popular messaging as a security model. Mark Zuckerberg wants to encrypt his other platforms in the same way, starting with Messenger, despite criticism from many governments who would like to keep access to their criminal investigations.

- Restricted info sharing -

At the same time, WhatsApp has long been accused of promoting the spread of false news, which in some cases leads to tragedies. In 2018, in India, false information about kidnappings of children had thus provoked riots and lynchings.

His detractors also accuse him of misinforming and therefore manipulating voters, as during presidential elections in Brazil.

Without citing by name the "fake news", WhatsApp said Wednesday that it was working with "the best security experts" and was using "cutting edge technology to stop misuse" of the platform.

"We offer controls and ways to report problems, without sacrificing confidentiality," the app also said.

WhatsApp, for example, has widely disseminated Q&A (questions and answers) on "hoax messages" or "advice to avoid the spread of rumors and + fake news +" in various languages.

It also curtailed the "sharing" functionality to avoid retransmitting false information en masse.

But it is precisely the privacy of the messages that makes it technically difficult to stop the spread of fake news.

Faced with the power acquired by social networks in the United States, the most virulent detractors, like the American senator Elizabeth Warren, candidate for the democratic nomination for the presidential election, do not hesitate to advocate the dismantling of the giants technology.

Mark Zuckerberg rejected in September the idea of ​​selling Instagram and WhatsApp to address concerns about the weight of the giant Facebook.

© 2020 AFP