Executive of ‘The Safest Place on the Internet’ Answers Privacy Exposé
The chief executive of the "anonymous" social media app that The Guardian determined was tracking its users did not dispute the accuracy of the paper's report and said in his first public statement on the matter, "We realize that we're not infallible."
Image by Whisper
The chief executive of the “anonymous” social media app that The Guardian determined was tracking its users did not dispute the accuracy of the paper’s report and said in his first public statement on the matter, “We realize that we’re not infallible.”
The Guardian reports:
[Michael] Heyward expressed “dismay” that the Guardian, which had previously collaborated with Whisper on three small projects, “published a series of stories questioning our commitment to your privacy”.
“While we’re disappointed with the Guardian’s approach, we welcome the discussion,” Heyward said. “We realise that we’re not infallible, and that reasonable people can disagree about a new and quickly evolving area like online anonymity.”
… The 27-year-old CEO’s remarks contrast with those of his editor-in-chief, Neetzan Zimmerman, who mounted an offensive immediately after the reports were published, accusing Guardian journalists of fabricating quotes and denouncing the reports as “a pack of vicious lies”.
Whisper rewrote its terms of service and privacy policy Monday, four days after learning The Guardian would publish details about its practices. Heyward said the changes were “not related” to The Guardian’s report and that they were finalized in July, though he did not explain why they were not implemented in an update to Whisper’s terms that occurred in September. Explaining the decision to change the terms, he reiterated Monday: “Our communications with The Guardian made it clear that our users would benefit from seeing them sooner.”
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Germany has taken on the global social media site by ruling that its real-name policy violates German citizens' right to privacy.
The open-source "FreedomBox" promises “turnkey” privacy, anonymity and security while surfing the Internet. But development problems may ensure it never escapes the feverish dreams of open Internet advocates.
For the past two years, a new kind of digital currency has been gaining in popularity Bitcoin is used to make supposedly anonymous direct transactions between buyers and sellers of goods and services online all over the world, without the oversight of (more).
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.