The long-running rivalry between messaging platforms has entered a new phase, as Pavel Durov publicly accused WhatsApp of misleading users about its privacy protections. In a series of statements that quickly gained global attention, the founder of Telegram argued that WhatsApp’s widely promoted end-to-end encryption model fails to fully safeguard user data-especially when cloud backups are involved.

Durov’s remarks, including his provocative assurance that “your nudes are safe with us,” were not merely rhetorical. They represent a broader critique of how messaging platforms communicate security features to users and how those features function in practice. At the core of the dispute lies a technical but crucial issue: the difference between encryption in transit and the security of stored data.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp, has consistently maintained that its service provides end-to-end encryption by default. This means that messages are encrypted on the sender’s device and can only be decrypted on the recipient’s device, theoretically preventing even Meta itself from accessing the content.

However, Durov argues that this claim is incomplete and potentially misleading. According to him, a significant portion of user messages ultimately resides in cloud backups stored on services operated by Apple and Google. These backups, he claims, may not always be protected by the same level of encryption, leaving them vulnerable to legal access requests or security breaches.

“Add the fact that WhatsApp stores and discloses who you chat with, and the picture is dire,” Durov stated, pointing not only to message content but also to metadata-information about who communicates with whom and when. Metadata, while less visible to users, is........

© Blitz