On Thursday April 23 we tried to understand why Meta AI had been integrated into WhatsApp, what the privacy implications were and if there were more secure alternatives. The MetaAI logo is a blue circle which sits in the bottom right corner of your WhatsApp search screen – and you cannot turn it off! Surely an AI app in the middle of private chats is a security risk?
Meta recently defended the AI’s presence in WhatsApp to the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7vzw78gz9o WhatsApp defends ‘optional’ AI tool that cannot be turned off. ““We think giving people these options is a good thing and we’re always listening to feedback from our users,” WhatsApp told the BBC. The company likens the feature to other permanent options in the app like ‘channels’ and ‘status’…On its website, WhatsApp says Meta AI “can answer your questions, teach you something, or help come up with new ideas“.
You cannot turn the AI off completely, but there is a workaround. On April 23 2025, Meta released “Advanced Chat Privacy” Using this, you can disable the AI thing on a chat by chat basis. https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/23/whatsapps-latest-feature-makes-your-messages-even-more-private/ “The new “Advanced Chat Privacy” setting prevents you and the people you’re chatting with from exporting chats and auto-downloading media to their phone. The setting also prevents users from mentioning Meta AI in messages or asking Meta AI questions.” ..
The AI tool is now present in all of Meta’s products: Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp. While Meta’s Virtual Reality project seems to be on the decline, with staff layoffs, the company is investing heavily in AI https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/24/zuckerberg-sets-metas-ai-targets-for-the-year-expects-to-spend-60-billion-on-growth.html
We asked Google’s Gemini AI “How does Meta make its money?” and were told that it is principally through advertising. However, Meta (then Facebook) spent a billions to buy WhatsApp which is a free end to end encrypted messaging app, without any avenue for showing adverts. So, why did Meta buy it? Here’s what Investopedia said: The answer is user growth.….WhatsApp launched in 2009 and, as of 2020, had more than 2 billion users. In March 2025, the number of the app’s users was approaching 3 billion. As of January 2025, Facebook had 3.07 billion monthly active users….For Zuckerberg, user growth comes first and monetization later...WhatsApp was used widely in developing markets where traditional cell phone call and text service was expensive or lacking. As the new owner of WhatsApp, Facebook gained access to these mobile users, which helped fuel its growth. The company believes it will profit from WhatsApp over time as phone calls become obsolete and internet-driven mobile messages reign.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/032515/whatsapp-best-facebook-purchase-ever.asp
Also – by owning WhatsApp, Meta took it out of the hands of competitors !
Many recent online articles are unhappy about the privacy risks of Meta AI e.g.:
Meta AI: An Opaque Integration Threatening Privacy, According to a NordVPN Cybersecurity Expert https://unionrayo.com/en/disable-meta-ai-whatsapp-privacy-risks/
A cybersecurity expert confirms it – Meta AI and WhatsApp could compromise your privacy this way – do it before it’s too late https://www.actuia.com/en/news/meta-ai-an-opaque-integration-threatening-privacy-according-to-a-nordvpn-cybersecurity-expert/
Meta AI will soon train on EU users’ data https://www.theverge.com/news/648128/meta-training-ai-eu-user-data However, under European law we can opt out of this.
Meta is also currently facing lawsuits in both Europe and the US over it monopolistic activities which block competition: https://www.theverge.com/news/627522/apple-meta-eu-dma-antitrust-fines Apple and Meta hit with the EU’s first DMA antitrust fines
https://www.ft.com/content/338314e8-8127-4de3-8b92-a85223856f6f Instagram’s co-founder testifies Mark Zuckerberg withheld resources
It has also been rebuked by its own board for relaxing its fact checking system: http://Meta’s oversight board rebukes company over policy overhaul Meta’s oversight board rebukes company over policy overhaul
Meta is also set to lose a lot of money this year because Trump tariffs have caused Chinese advertisers to pull back! https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/22/meta-could-take-a-7-billion-hit-this-year-because-of-trumps-tough-china-tariffs.html
So, there are interesting times for Meta. Will we eventually get the chance to uninstall Meta AI from WhatsApp?. In the meantime, perhaps we should switch to another secure messaging app from a company which does not depend on advertising or knowing too much about its users?. The problem is that none of the competition have the huge user base that WhatsApp has, and these days, businesses contact customers through WhatsApp. It has become the industry norm.
Peter B. sent Chris a translation of a German language article which gave a detailed technical analysis of a number of secure messaging apps including Signal (US, non-profit, funded by donations) and Threema (Swiss, funded by app sales and business subscriptions) It concluded .. “The best secure messenger does not exist. It depends on your requirements. If you want to reach as many acquaintances as possible a widespread messenger based on phone numbers such as WhatsApp will probably help you – if it is also to be open source, only Signal remains in the test field. However, its servers are under US control; if you are worried about this, you may feel more comfortable with Threema.…
Chris Betterton-Jones – Knowledge Junkie