WhatsApp can also be used by malicious people to spy on us and to steal our personal data: here's how to defend yourself
WhatsApp is used every day by almost two billion people and it is normal that privacy and the protection of personal data is one of the aspects that is most important to developers. Very often new features are added specifically designed to ensure maximum security, but it is not always successful. Very often it is the users themselves who make mistakes and allow those close to them to spy on them on WhatsApp.
One of the biggest nightmares for WhatsApp users is that of being spied on. On the other hand, on the messaging application there are all our most hidden secrets and all our personal information. With friends we exchange images, videos, work documents and voice messages with the times and places where to meet. Fortunately, there are some very simple and fast tricks to find out if someone is spying on us on WhatsApp. Nothing too complicated: it only takes a few minutes to carry out a check and in case take the necessary countermeasures. Here's what to do.
How to find out who is spying on us on WhatsApp using WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp Web is the browser version of the messaging app. To use it, you need to add the device where you can activate WhatsApp Web via your smartphone. A procedure designed precisely to protect the privacy of users, but which can sometimes cause security problems.
The operation of WhatsApp Web is very simple: you enter the URL of the service on the browser and a QR code will appear on the screen to be scanned with the WhatsApp app. At this point you open WhatsApp on your smartphone, press on the menu and click on WhatsApp Web. Pressing on the "+" icon opens the camera to scan the QR code. Once this step is done, your WhatsApp profile will appear on your browser with all your message history.
This very simple procedure can allow some "spying" friends to take advantage of it. How? Very simple: just take over your smartphone for a few seconds (perhaps while you are distracted) and activate WhatsApp Web on his device.
Unfortunately, there is a rather simple way to find out if someone is spying on us on WhatsApp Web. How to do it? You have to open the WhatsApp app, press on the menu and then on the "WhatsApp Web" item. It will open a tab where in addition to the possibility of adding new devices, there is a list of "Connected Devices". Analyze it and check if by chance among the last activities there is something abnormal. If you don't see any of the last accesses, immediately press "Disconnect from all devices". That way, if someone is spying on you, they won't be able to do it anymore.
Also, we suggest you also set another level of security: lock with fingerprint (Android) or facial recognition (iOS). You can do it from the Privacy section of the app and forces the user to unlock the smartphone using biometric data.
How to find out who is spying on us on WhatsApp from the "Status"
The "Status" section is the equivalent of Instagram Stories: users can post images and videos that disappear after twenty-four hours. And access to the contents of the State is granted to everyone who has our phone number, unless we set very stringent privacy options.
Whoever posts an image on the "State" can know at any time who has seen the published content and also find out if some "spy" is seeing it. If in the list of people who have viewed the image there is someone you don't know and they do it several times in a row, you should take countermeasures.
In the Status section you can change the privacy options. How to do that? Simple, you have to access the section, press on the menu icon and then on "Status Privacy". This will open a tab where you can choose "Who can see my status updates". You can choose between "My contacts", "My contacts except..." and "Share with...". By choosing "My contacts except..." you can exclude a few people who are a little too snoopy.