3.5 billion phone numbers and profile pictures scraped off WhatsApp
meta (facebook whatsapp) ignored the calls of security researchers from Austria for 1 year
it is very likely that 90% of all actors, politicians and other people that thinkg they are very important on this planet now have to change their phone numbers X-D
because with the help of AI and face recognitions their phone numbers could be discovered
https://www.netzwelt.de/news/248429-35-milliarden-konten-offengelegt-whatsapp-user-gefahr.html
Yes from Leonardo Di Caprio to Elon Musk to Jeff Bezos phone number were most likely leaked to god knows how many parties.
In other words: if a user had the entire phone book of the planet: Who would the user call? (is Linus Torvalds using WhatsApp? X-D (no he is not only SMS, smart move)
solutions? anyone?
- yes! and whoever ignores them is a god damn … FINALLY say goodbye to iPhone and Siri and get a pixel phone (7, 8, 9) it can be second hand and install GrapheneOS and install signal on it (private phone)
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms&pli=1
- direct download apk https://signal.org/download/
- get a 2nd phone and sim and put whatsapp on it (public phone for all india call center scammers to call and text)
- btw it is enough to send a specially crafted image via WhatsApp to compromise the device
also interesting: greetings from orwell to EU
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/eu-chatkontrolle-102.html
also interesting: Countries Where WhatsApp Is Restricted or Illegal
this data protection failure possibly puts users of whatsapp in these countries in danger…
| Country | Status | Reason / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| China | Blocked | The Great Firewall blocks WhatsApp’s ports and services; users must use domestic alternatives like WeChat. |
| Iran | Blocked Unblock Block Unblock limbo | currently: (2025-11) Unblocked. “while WhatsApp and Google Play services have been restored in a decision late week by Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, many other platforms remain banned.”
Government filters restrict access; occasional temporary bans during political unrest. |
| North Korea | Illegal | All foreign messaging apps are prohibited; only state‑approved communication tools are allowed. |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Restricted | Voice and video calling features are blocked; text messaging works, but many users rely on alternatives such as Telegram. |
| Qatar | Restricted | Similar to the UAE, voice/video calls are disabled; the app can be used for basic messaging. |
| Saudi Arabia | Restricted | Voice and video calls are blocked; the app is allowed for text messaging only. |
| Turkey | Blocked Unblock Block Unblock limbo | Occasionally blocked during periods of political tension or after court orders; otherwise generally accessible. |
| Bahrain | Restricted | Voice and video calls are often disabled; text messaging remains functional. |
In most of these countries, the core text‑messaging feature of WhatsApp may still work, but voice and video calling are commonly the functions that are blocked or restricted.
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