Mark Zuckerberg says that WhatsApp is more secure than iMessage in a new post to Instagram that shows off an ad that is now being run to highlight the fact.
Zuckerberg’s Instagram rant made mention of the various security features that WhatsApp has to offer, taking the time to point out which ones iMessage doesn’t.
Privacy matters
The ad itself is a good one — it shows a chat window with a green bubble, blue bubble, and private bubble. The green bubble is an SMS, while the blue bubble is an iMessage referencing the popular way that people talk about Android and iPhone users.
The third message depicts WhatsApp, complete with the two checkmarks that confirm a message was delivered and read. But the real fun comes via Zuckerberg’s comment.
“WhatsApp is far more private and secure than iMessage, with end-to-end encryption that works across both iPhones and Android, including group chats,” Zuckerberg starts out. The then goes on to mention that WhatsApp can also offer disappearing messages when needed, adding that the company also “introduced end-to-end encrypted backups too.” The comment is rounded out with a dig at Apple by saying that all of those features are things “iMessage still doesn’t have.”
Some of these shortfalls aren’t new, and Zuckerberg is perhaps right to call them out — particularly the encrypted backups situation. But it’s still galling to see Zuckerberg, founder of Meta and Facebook, claiming the high ground on privacy. That doesn’t make his points any less valid, however.
While iMessage is still the best iPhone and Mac messaging service for many, WhatsApp is still a go-to for people who need to talk to those using Android devices. However, the company would obviously prefer people use it for everything, hence this latest ad campaign and Zuckerberg’s newfound interest in privacy.
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