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WhatsApp Clarifies 'We See You' Post After Privacy Concerns Over Encryption

The company calls the phrase figurative, stating end-to-end encryption still protects personal messages.

Overview

  • WhatsApp’s post on X read “people who end messages with ‘lol’ we see you, we honor you,” triggering confusion about message privacy.
  • The tweet drew millions of views as users questioned whether the app could read chats that are supposed to be end-to-end encrypted.
  • WhatsApp responded that “we see you” was figurative and reiterated that personal messages remain protected by end-to-end encryption and “no one, not even WhatsApp, can see them.”
  • Reporting underscores there has been no change to WhatsApp’s encryption, which has been in place since 2016.
  • Coverage highlighted user distrust, calls to hold the social-media poster accountable, reminders that SMS lacks encryption, and discussion of alternatives such as Signal, Telegram, iMessage, and Google Messages.