Messenger data protection - What do users of WhatsApp and Co. think about it?

What is the importance of data protection for users of messenger services?

Messenger services, cell phones, the Internet, etc. are more relevant than ever in people's everyday lives. An increasingly digital world, such as the one we have now, is no longer conceivable without all these components. But the protection of personal data is also becoming increasingly important for users. Everything users do online also leaves a digital footprint.

There is a conflict between data protection and the use of messengers. Popular apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and the like are under criticism due to gaps in data protection. But how important is this topic really for the end user?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) makes a massive contribution to ensuring that the issue of data protection is also perceived more urgently by users of these services. In addition, scandals such as the one involving Facebook in 2018 are significantly contributing to users becoming more and more careful. The data of several million users was unlawfully transferred from Facebook to a company called CambridgeAnalytica. This happened between 2004 and 2014.

The GDPR has been in force since May 2018 and regulates how companies must handle personal data. In a study by the SINUS Institute carried out last year, it was determined how Germans really think about the issue of data protection. Most of the survey participants interviewed there had strong concerns as to whether personal data is really sufficiently protected online and offline. Over 50% have stated that it is important to them to protect their personal information.

Now there has been another survey. From YouGov's 2019 survey, only 13% of respondents believe that the GDPR improves the security of personal data online. Over 50% think that the GDPR does not affect data security.

The participants are not entirely in agreement on this. Data protection is already important to many, but the General Data Protection Regulation is viewed with suspicion. Nevertheless, the GDPR determines how personal data may be processed for all companies within the European Union.

Messenger privacy - What are the most secure messengers?

According to a statistical survey, some of the messengers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram, are among the most popular messengers in Germany. Many users ask themselves what you need to consider as a company and what the data protection of these messengers looks like.

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are not GDPR compliant, but WhatsApp API is

WhatsApp is the most frequently used messenger - and not only in Germany, but also worldwide. Messenger is used daily by many millions of users in Germany to receive and send messages. Many companies are now also using WhatsApp Business as a corporate account.

In 2016, WhatsApp ensured that the sending of messages was secured by end-to-end encryption. This significantly contributes to improving WhatsApp's security. However, several experts on the subject of data protection warn of a lack of security standards. Despite encrypting messages, WhatsApp still has access to this data. This allows WhatsApp to analyze who is sending the messages to whom and what size the messages are. It also allows access to all data from the contact list on the mobile phone. As a result, many entrepreneurs are also asking themselves whether they should use WhatsApp Business to communicate with their customers.

The normal WhatsApp version and also the WhatsApp Business version are not GDPR compliant and should therefore not be used for customer communication. However, this problem can easily be solved by using the WhatsApp Business API uses or uses WhatsApp via third-party providers such as hellomateo.

How secure is Facebook Messenger?

For a company, the Facebook page is an essential part of the customer journey. This page is a point of contact and a significant source of information for your customers. If you as a company have a Facebook page, you are jointly responsible with Facebook when it comes to data protection.

But Facebook Messenger also has security gaps, as is the case with WhatsApp. At the beginning of the installation of the messenger, it is already asked for access to various data. As a user, you should take a look at the fine print beforehand so that you can restrict the transfer of sensitive data.

By default, Facebook Messenger does not have end-to-end encryption of conversations. As a user, you can set this manually, an encryption for private conversations with a maximum of two participants. However, this does not apply to group conversations. Even with active encryption, Facebook can collect and analyze data who sends what and when.

In any case, you shouldn't rely on Facebook when it comes to data protection. It is better to take additional measures yourself. Using the API and the appropriate provider, the Facebook messenger can be used to communicate with the customer in compliance with the GDPR.

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How secure is Telegram when it comes to data protection?

When it comes to alternatives to WhatsApp, Telegram is mostly mentioned. But is Telegram more secure? Telegram itself is cloud-based and advertises that it attaches great importance to data protection. However, there are also negative headlines on Telegram.

As a user, you have to manually select whether the messages are sent in encrypted form. End-to-end encryption is only possible for conversations with two participants. This is not possible for groups and channels on Telegram. The conversations must be saved in order to access chats from multiple devices via the cloud. However, Telegram always secures private conversations and also data from groups and channels on servers in encrypted form. In terms of data protection, Telegram therefore looks similar to the other providers.

As an entrepreneur, you are responsible for what you do with your personal data. Platforms such as hellomateo give you more control to use Telegram in a GDPR-compliant way when communicating with your customers.

Messenger DSGVO - use in compliance with hellomateo

When it comes to data protection, you shouldn't rely on what the messenger services offer. It is better to take action yourself and use customer communication securely via messengers such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram. Hellomateo is just right for that! This allows you to use intelligence services in compliance with the DSGO and are on the safe side. The WhatsApp Business API also makes it possible to use WhatsApp from several devices and use it with multiple users. Incoming messages can thus be processed faster and more effectively by the entire team.

• ‍Central user interface: hellomateo combines WhatsApp Business Platform, email, Instagram, SMS and Facebook Messenger in one central inbox. The intuitive user interface includes various tools for efficient customer communication and saves you valuable working time.
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• integrations: With hellomateo, you can use WhatsApp in integrate over 6,000 software programs and fully automated Customer trips create with invitations, order confirmations, shipping information, invoices, and reminders.
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• Newsletter marketing: Send GDPR-compliant Newsletter via WhatsApp or SMS and benefit from opening rates of over 95%.‍
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• Assessment management: hellomateo can Automatically request online reviews from your customers, which boosts your Google ranking and trust in your company.
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• ‍Data protection: hellomateo meets all German and European Data protection requirements and offers end-to-end encryption for secure customer communication.
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• scalability: Our software is suitable for Businesses of all sizes and can be extended indefinitely depending on the package.‍
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• ‍Diverse AI features: Our AI agent can automatically answer customer inquiries in chat, answer calls, help with the formulation of messages and much more.

Interested? Book a free, non-binding demo appointment and learn more about hellomateo and WhatsApp communication. Book here.

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