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back to article Whisper chief: 'We're not infallible but strive to do right by our anonymous users'

Whisper's CEO Michael Heyward responded late on Saturday to claims that his company's anonymous messaging app was quietly tracking the location of its users. He admitted in a post published on Medium that Whisper wasn't perfect, but Heyward was quick to defend its business tactics, after revelations emerged that the startup …

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  1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    That's all right then

    "For example, if we believe a user may pose a threat to their community, we will take appropriate action."

    If you have nothing to hide comrade-citizen you have nothing to fear.

    1 1 Reply
  2. Dan 55 Silver badge
    WTF?

    It seems like with Whisper you're less anonymous than you are with other services

    Do Facebook or Twitter go through messages by hand, actively forward data with spook agencies, or do content deals with media companies? Can't remember reading anything to that effect.

    4 0 Reply
  3. i like crisps
    Big Brother

    Collins English Gem Dictionary (1973)

    anonymous a. nameless. esp. without an author's name.

    Maybe the Advertising Standards Authority should be contacted over this as it doesn't do what it says on the tin!

    The Whisper CEO said that his company was "built on the values of honesty and transparency" and added "we always strive to do right by our users."

    I'm not a user but if you're going to offer an anonymous service it will impact on your bottom line if you fuck your customers in the ass.

    12 1 Reply
  4. ukgnome
    Big Brother

    Government sponsored

    we are spying on all our users - hey it's in the T&C

    2 0 Reply
  5. Mark 85

    Interesting...

    I find it interesting (and not in a good way) that they are acting as de facto police and psychologists. They offer a service of anonymous posting and expect the posts to have honesty? How does that work?

    3 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    responded late on Saturday

    damage limitation

    0 0 Reply
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    values of honesty and transparency

    with the rightful (?) exception to providing our business address

    0 0 Reply
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uninstalled.....

    They lied... that was enough.. no second chance

    6 1 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Holmes

      Might as well buy a new device. I'm sure they've got their tendrils deep into your chips by now.

      And a tinfoil hat wouldn't be a bad idea. Since they are probably tracking your brainwaves too.

      0 1 Reply
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Note the wording

    Heyward said "We do not actively track users..."

    Note that word... That says to me that they don't track users in real time but by implication they absolutely do track their movements at other times.

    2 0 Reply
  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Call the fire department!

    "The Whisper CEO said that his company was "built on the values of honesty and transparency" and added "we always strive to do right by our users" ...at which time his pants burst into flames.

    6 1 Reply
  11. Sebastian A

    Once you start interpreting things as pessimistically as you can, you're probably close to what it actually means.

    ...it claimed to only retain data for a limited period of time.

    Unless they've managed to guarantee their own existance for the rest of time, then any data they collect will only be retained for a "limited period of time".

    Limited by the heat death of the universe.

    1 0 Reply
    1. John Tserkezis
      Reply Icon

      "Unless they've managed to guarantee their own existance for the rest of time, then any data they collect will only be retained for a "limited period of time". Limited by the heat death of the universe."

      Or untill Wisper goes bust, and they sell their faithfully-stored data to a third party, where all the original T&Cs no longer apply... Happens all the time.

      3 0 Reply
  12. solo

    Ethics

    This is what happens when someone produces a product he doesn't believe in. Did that guy have any idea why the world wants an anon service?

    - No: He's an a**, f**up fool for thinking he can deliver

    - Yes: He's an a**, f**up criminal for breaching trust

    0 0 Reply
  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could they be sued under Trades Description?

    If they share information and mine user's history for nuggets of identifying info; there's no reason it can be referred to as an anonymous app. Which is entirely the point of it, I believe.

    0 0 Reply
  14. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Ooops...

    "if a user claims to be a health care professional concerned about Ebola, we may review their recent posts to help assess the authenticity of the Whisper before featuring it."

    Oh dear, you shouldn't say that. By pre-vetting conversations, it makes you responsible for the post, therefore complicit in libel cases (that's the UK, I believe the US is similar). That's why often even moderated forums simply delete them, rather than prevent them happing as it makes it more of a grey area.

    Of course the whole libel thing is a minefield anyway, this just makes it less of a defence to say, "I wasn't aware of the post and when I was, I removed it)

    2 0 Reply

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