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== Acquisition ==
== Acquisition ==
On February 19, 2014, [[Facebook]] announced it would be acquiring WhatsApp for US$19 billion. It will pay $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp’s founders, [[Jan Koum]], [[Brian Acton]],<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-20/whatsapp-s-founder-goes-from-food-stamps-to-billionaire.html|title=WhatsApp’s Founder Goes From Food Stamps to Billionaire|publisher=Bloomberg News|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> and employees that will vest over four years subsequent to closing.<ref name="fb-buyout" /> The transaction is the largest purchase of a company backed by venture capitalists ever.<ref name=wsj20140220/> The purchase, though it shocked the public has been seen as a wise decision from many business professionals.
On February 19, 2014, [[Facebook]] announced it would be acquiring WhatsApp for US$19 billion. It will pay $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp’s founders, [[Jan Koum]], [[Brian Acton]],<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-20/whatsapp-s-founder-goes-from-food-stamps-to-billionaire.html|title=WhatsApp’s Founder Goes From Food Stamps to Billionaire|publisher=Bloomberg News|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> and employees that will vest over four years subsequent to closing.<ref name="fb-buyout" /> The transaction is the largest purchase of a company backed by venture capitalists ever.<ref name=wsj20140220/> The purchase, though it shocked the public has been seen as a wise decision from many business professionals.{{Who}}


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 02:49, 21 February 2014

WhatsApp
Developer(s)WhatsApp Inc.
Initial release2009 (2009)
Stable release
Preview release
Android (Beta)2.24.23.12[1] Edit this on Wikidata / November 1, 2024; 18 days ago (November 1, 2024)
Operating system
Available inMultilingual
TypeInstant messaging
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.whatsapp.com

WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary, cross-platform instant messaging subscription service for smartphones. In addition to text messaging, users can send each other images, video, and audio media messages as well as their location using integrated mapping features. The client software is available for Google Android, BlackBerry OS, Apple iOS, selected Nokia Series 40, Symbian, selected Nokia Asha platform, Microsoft Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10. WhatsApp Inc. was founded in 2009 by Americans Brian Acton and Jan Koum (also the CEO), both former employees of Yahoo!, and is based in Mountain View, California.[2][3] The company employs 55 people.[4]

Competing with a number of Asian-based messaging services (like LINE, KakaoTalk, WeChat), WhatsApp handled ten billion messages per day in August 2012,[5] growing from two billion in April 2012,[6] and one billion the previous October.[7] On June 13, 2013, WhatsApp announced that they had reached their new daily record by processing 27 billion messages.[8] According to the Financial Times, WhatsApp "has done to SMS on mobile phones what Skype did to international calling on landlines."[9]

As of November 10, 2013, WhatsApp had over 190 million monthly active users, 400 million photos are shared each day, and the messaging system handles more than 10 billion messages each day.[10][11] In a December 2013 blog post, WhatsApp claimed that 400 million active users use the service each month.[12]

On February 19, 2014, Facebook announced it is acquiring WhatsApp for US$16 billion. Facebook will pay $4 billion in cash and the remaining $12 billion in Facebook shares. It calls for an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp founders and employees that will vest over four years.[13]

Technical

WhatsApp uses a customized version of the open standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP).[14] Upon installation, it creates a user account using one's phone number as the username (Jabber ID: [phone number]@s.whatsapp.net). WhatsApp software automatically compares all the phone numbers from the device's address book with its central database of WhatsApp users to automatically add contacts to the user's WhatsApp contact list. Previously the Android and S40 versions used an MD5-hashed, reversed-version of the phone's IMEI as password,[15] while the iOS version used the phone's Wi-Fi MAC address instead of IMEI.[16][17] A 2012 update now generates a random password on the server side.[18]

WhatsApp is supported on most Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia, and Windows smartphones. All Android phones running the Android 2.1 and above, all BlackBerry devices running OS 4.7 and later, including BlackBerry 10, and all iPhones running iOS 4.3 and later. However, some Dual SIM devices may not be compatible with WhatsApp, though there are some workarounds for this.[19]

Multimedia messages are sent by uploading the image, audio or video to be sent to an HTTP server and then sending a link to the content along with its Base64 encoded thumbnail (if applicable).[20]

Security

In May 2011, a security hole was reported which left WhatsApp user accounts open for session hijacking and packet analysis.[21] WhatsApp communications were not encrypted, and data was sent and received in plaintext, meaning messages could easily be read if packet traces were available.[22] In September 2011, WhatsApp released a new version of the Messenger application for iPhones, closing critical security holes that allowed forged messages to be sent and messages from any WhatsApp user to be read.[23]

On January 6, 2012, an unknown hacker published a website (WhatsAppStatus.net) that made it possible to change the status of an arbitrary WhatsApp user, as long as the phone number was known. To make it work, it only required a restart of the app. According to the hacker, it is only one of the many security problems in WhatsApp. On January 9, WhatsApp reported that it had resolved the problem, although the only measure actually taken was to block the website's IP address. As a reaction, a Windows tool was made available for download providing the same functionality. This problem has since been resolved in the form of an IP address check on currently logged-in sessions.[24][25]

On January 13, 2012, WhatsApp was removed from the iOS App Store, and the reason was not disclosed. The app was added back to the App Store four days later.[26]

In May 2012, security researchers noticed that new updates of WhatsApp no longer sent messages as plaintext,[27][28][29] but the cryptographic method implemented was subsequently described as "broken".[30][31] As of August 15, 2012, the WhatsApp support staff claim messages are encrypted in the "latest version" of the WhatsApp software for iOS and Android (but not BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian), without specifying the implemented cryptographic method.[32]

German Tech site The H demonstrated how to use WhatsAPI to hijack any WhatsApp account on September 14, 2012.[33] Shortly after, a legal threat to WhatsAPI's developers was alleged, characterized by The H as "an apparent reaction" to security reports, and WhatsAPI's source code was taken down for some days.[34] The WhatsAPI team has since returned to active development.[35]

Privacy

File:Windows Whatsapp.png
WhatsApp for Windows Phone

A major privacy and security problem has been the subject of a joint Canadian-Dutch government investigation. The primary concern was that WhatsApp required users to upload their mobile phone's entire address book to WhatsApp servers so that WhatsApp could discover who, among the users' contacts, is available via WhatsApp. While this is a fast and convenient way to quickly find and connect the user with contacts who are also using WhatsApp, it means that their address book was then mirrored on the WhatsApp servers, including contact information for contacts who are not using WhatsApp. This information was stored in hashed, though not salted form and without "additional" identifying information such as a name, although the stored identifying information is sufficient to identify every contact.[36][37][38][39]

WhatsApp uses a timestamp feature, which makes it possible to view the last time a user was logged on (or "Last seen"), unless expressly blocked by said user. This feature is considered to be a privacy problem. While iPhone users can choose to disable the feature, Android users cannot.[40]

WhatsApp allows users to view the profile picture and current "Status" of all their contacts.[41]

On March 31, 2013, the telecommunications authority in Saudi Arabia, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), issued a statement regarding possible measures against WhatsApp, among other applications, unless the service providers took serious steps to comply with monitoring and privacy regulations.[42]

One of the drawback of WhatsApp is that the user does not need to send a friend request to send messages to another user. However, users can block numbers on WhatsApp.[citation needed]

Open WhatsApp Project

The Open WhatsApp Project is an open-source re-implementation of the WhatsApp client software for mobile phones done by an independent group. Initially targeted at the Nokia N9 (which was officially not supported by WhatsApp), it was later ported to other platforms, including BlackBerry 10. It uses the WhatsApp service behind-the-scenes, and is thus not a competitor to WhatsApp, being just a different front-end, and is also subject to the same privacy and security concerns as WhatsApp.

On February 12, 2014 all WhatsApp related repositories hosted on github were removed due to a DMCA notice received from WhatsApp Inc. [43]

Acquisition

On February 19, 2014, Facebook announced it would be acquiring WhatsApp for US$19 billion. It will pay $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp’s founders, Jan Koum, Brian Acton,[44] and employees that will vest over four years subsequent to closing.[13] The transaction is the largest purchase of a company backed by venture capitalists ever.[4] The purchase, though it shocked the public has been seen as a wise decision from many business professionals.[who?]

See also

References

  1. ^ "WhatsApp apk". November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ El pais, July 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Eric, Jackson (December 3, 2012). "Why Selling WhatsApp To Facebook Would Be The Biggest Mistake of Jan Koum's and Brian Acton's Lives". Forbes. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Albergotti, Reed; MacMillan, Douglas; Rusli, Evelyn M. (February 20, 2014). "Facebook's $19 Billion Deal Sets High Bar". The Wall Street Journal. pp. A1, A6.
  5. ^ Olanof, Drew (August 23, 2012). "WhatsApp hits new record with 10 billion total messages in one day". The Next Web. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  6. ^ Sushma, Parab (April 4, 2012). "WhatsApp founder to operators: 'We're no SMS-killer, we get people hooked on data'". The Next Web. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  7. ^ Olanoff, Drew (October 31, 2011). "WhatsApp users now send over one billion messages a day". TheNextWeb. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  8. ^ WhatsApp, 27 Billion msgs handled in just 24 hours! (µblog), Tweeter, New daily record: 10B+ msgs sent (inbound) and 17B+ msgs received (outbound) by our users
  9. ^ Bradshaw, Tim (November 14, 2011). "WhatsApp users get the message". The Financial Times. London. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  10. ^ "What's app: 190 million monthly active users", The Verge, August 6, 2013, retrieved October 22, 2013.
  11. ^ Parmy Olson (November 10, 2013). "Teenagers say goodbye to Facebook and hello to messenger apps". The Guardian. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  12. ^ Jan Koum (December 19, 2013). "400 Million Stories". WhatsApp Blog. WhatsApp. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  13. ^ a b February 2014 "Facebook to Acquire WhatsApp". February 19, 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  14. ^ Shakal (March 22, 2011). "WhatsApp? Nicht ohne Risiken" (Google Translate) (World Wide Web log) (in German). DE. Retrieved January 29, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help).
  15. ^ Team Venomous (venomous0x). "Interface to WhatsApp Messenger" (blog). GitHub. Retrieved January 26, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Amodio, Ezio (September 11, 2012). "Whatsapp – iOS password generation". IT. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  17. ^ Granger, Sam (September 5, 2012). "WhatsApp is using IMEI numbers as passwords". Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  18. ^ "Wassapp login issues" (blog). Lowlevel Studios. December 11, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013. Wassapp is a PC application developed to be a non-official client for WhatsApp Messenger
  19. ^ Emenike, Kelechi (September 16, 2013). "Download WhatsApp on non-compatible Dual-SIM Phones" (blog). NG: ECHO. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  20. ^ Team Venomous (venomous0x) (November 28, 2012) [May 29, 2012]. "WhatsAPI / README.md" (blog). GitHub. Retrieved January 29, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ McCarty, Brad (May 23, 2011). "Signup goof leaves WhatsApp users open to account hijacking". The Next Web. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  22. ^ Brookehoven, Corey (May 19, 2011). "Whatsapp leaks usernames, telephone numbers and messages". Your daily Mac. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  23. ^ Kurtz, Andreas (September 8, 2011). "Shooting the Messenger". Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  24. ^ Schellevis, Joost (January 12, 2012). "What's app status: van Anderen os nog steeds te wijzigen" (in Dutch). Tweakers. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  25. ^ rvdm (January 12, 2012). "How What's app net works". Wire trip. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  26. ^ Reventós, Laia (July 3, 2012). "Dentro de WhatsApp". El Pais (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved January 26, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Whatsapp ya cifra los mensajes". Mi equipo está loco (in Castilan). ES: IT Pro. May 11, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  28. ^ BB, David (May 8, 2012). "Twitter" (status). Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  29. ^ Sp0rk bomb (May 10, 2012). "Twitter". Retrieved May 31, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "WhatsApp is broken, really broken". File perms. September 12, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  31. ^ djwm (May 13, 2012). "Sniffer tool displays other people's WhatsApp messages". H (online ed.). Heinz Heise. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  32. ^ "Are my messages secure?". WhatsApp (FAQ). Zendesk. August 15, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  33. ^ fab (September 14, 2012). "WhatsApp accounts almost completely unprotected". The H (online ed.). Heinz Heise. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  34. ^ crve (September 25, 2012). "WhatsApp threatens legal action against API developers". The H (online ed.). Heinz Heise. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  35. ^ wnstnsmth (September 30, 2012). "WhatsAPI sources back online". The H (online ed.). Heinz Heise. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  36. ^ Wisniewski, Chester (January 29, 2013). "WhatsApp's privacy investigated by joint Canadian-Dutch probe". Naked security. Sophos. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  37. ^ "Investigation into the personal information handling practices of WhatsApp Inc". Findings under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Report of Findings. Privacy Commissioner of Canada. January 15, 2013. 2013-001. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  38. ^ gh, h (January 28, 2013). "WhatsApp could face prosecution on poor privacy". IDG. CXO Media. Retrieved January 29, 2013. Dutch and Canadian privacy commissioners conducted a yearlong investigation into the popular mobile app
  39. ^ "How do I hide my last seen at time?". Android FAQ. What’s app.
  40. ^ "5. User Status Submissions". Legal Info. WhatsApp.
  41. ^ "CITC warns Skype, Viber, WhatsApp". Saudi Gazette. Jeddah. March 31, 2013.
  42. ^ [1]
  43. ^ "WhatsApp's Founder Goes From Food Stamps to Billionaire". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to WhatsApp Messenger.

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