Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, uses Whatsapp as the main instant messaging application. In fact, as of today, this app has approximately 2,780 million active users and an exchange of more than 100,000 million messages per day.
But do we really use it securely to ensure our personal and professional privacy?
In today’s TIP we want to provide you with some recommendations for you to take into account when using this and other similar applications (e.g. Teams, Zoom, Telegram, Line, Viber, etc.):
- DNI, Passport or equivalent identity document: It is an increasingly common practice to send photos of these documents for different reasons to different recipients, however, it is also a high-risk habit for our privacy. Because with the mere copy of these documents, an unauthorized third party could have all the basic information necessary to impersonate our identity.
- Financial and banking statements or information (including income tax returns, pay slips or invoices): It is not advisable to provide this confidential information by these means. Not because the recipient misuses it, but because the person requesting it may be a cybercriminal who has impersonated our contact. Or also because our contact can lose the mobile or have it stolen, and with it the information.
- Professional or business information: The purpose of using these applications is to facilitate conversations and direct interconnections between Users. But we should never use the chats of these applications as a repository of documents and relevant information. Especially if it is confidential information about our company, entity or organization. Professional information, it is always preferable to send it by e-mail or authorized Cloud Clouds and applying encryption through access/read password, in case of confidential data.
- Compromising photos: With the use of new technologies and especially social networks, the protection of our privacy has lost importance. However, there are cyber-attacks known as “man in the middle” that consist of spying on the conversations of two users and getting “in the middle” of these communications to get hold of all the information exchanged, including photos. The more intimate, private or confidential the image, the more interest a cybercriminal will have in stealing it and publishing or reselling it to other criminals and fraudsters.
- Hoaxes or fake news and unethical messages, videos or photos: Sending this type of files about a person, whether we know them or not, and which are of violent, sexist, pornographic or unethical content, implies becoming accomplices in the virality of that message. Therefore, we remind you that violating the privacy or morality of a person (even the mere rebroadcasting of a message received) is a criminal offense that can lead to criminal prosecution.
We also remind you that it is strongly discouraged to provide this same information through pages, platforms, clouds and/or any other unreliable means. Because we can apply all the appropriate security and privacy protection measures both at home and at work, but once sent, we lose control over this information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If we have the slightest suspicion of having suffered a cyber-attack that may have compromised our Security or Privacy, we recommend in the professional environment to request support from the IT Department, the Security Manager or the direct superior. And on a personal level, report it as soon as possible to the police authorities.
*Shipment date: May 05, 2025