During the week, a viral message circulated via WhatsApp and shared on other social media spaces, accusing the Nigerian government of encroaching on privacy rights. The message alleged that the government was recording and storing phone conversations, tracking messages, and monitoring activities on social media platforms.
Emphasizing a crackdown specifically targeting WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter, the message was accompanied by the Nigerian Coat of Arms.
Verification
CDD War Room traced and found that the broadcast message has appeared on the web since 2021. However, the initial broadcast did not have the image of the Nigerian Coat of Arms.
Despite claims suggesting monitoring of all social media platforms, the CDD War Room observed a breakdown of alleged ‘new’ rules specifically targeting WhatsApp.
To verify these claims, the CDD War Room thoroughly examined WhatsApp’s read messaging settings. Our investigation revealed the read messaging settings remained consistent with single, double, and double blue ticks, except in cases of a blocked contact or a contact with read receipts turned off.
Contrary to the claim, additional ‘updates’ such as red, double red, or triple red ticks were not among the options provided by the messaging platform. CDD War Room can therefore reach the conclusion that the claims regarding WhatsApp’s updated read messaging settings are unfounded, and the platform’s existing features remain unchanged.
The Viral WhatsApp post alleges that the Nigerian government plans to monitor both voice and video calls on the platform, along with tracking messages. The CDD War Room conducted an investigation into the authenticity of these claims by examining WhatsApp’s privacy settings.
Our findings revealed that WhatsApp maintains an end-to-end encryption setting, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read messages, with no access granted to third parties. Additionally, the platform offers additional security measures such as locked chats and disappearing messages to further protect user privacy.
Therefore, based on our analysis, the claims regarding government monitoring appear to be unfounded, and WhatsApp’s privacy features remain intact to safeguard user data and communications.
Verdict: False
The broadcast message lacks a verifiable source and has been circulating since 2021. The associated claims with the broadcast messages are entirely baseless and false.
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