Henna VirkkunenWe designated today WhatsApp as Very Large Online Platform under the #DigitalServicesAct, as its ‘Channels’ feature reaches the designation threshold of at least 45 million users in the EU.
Learn more: https://link.europa.eu/YCP7VK
Megan Lynch (she/her)@HennaVirkkunen Is the European Commission exempting itself from the European Accessibility Act?
"Visual quote" is not alt text for this image. For it to be accurate & equitable, it has to have a transcription of the text that sighted ppl are being given in the image, as well as a description of any visual elements that carry meaning that sighted ppl would get out of the image.
It would be good to have the social media team train on equitable and useful social media/web/digital #Accessibility
Florian
Markus@HennaVirkkunen
An important decision. That's the correct way! 👍
An important decision. That's the correct way! 👍
Nick44 🇪🇺 🇮🇹
Moreno Colaiacovo 🇪🇺@HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 I wish it were that easy! There are lots of good alternatives to WhatsApp, but the network effect is so powerful.. makes migration very difficult. At least for me! I have Signal and Matrix on my phone, but all my contacts use WhatsApp
Buntstift von M@emmecola @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 Your contacts can still send SMS or call you. I had the same and when leaving WhatsApp. My friends joined me on Signal or used SMS. Thats it. Actually it‘s a kind of lazy excuse most people use.
@HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 @buntstiftvonm I don't think I'm lazy. I have used alternative browsers, email/cloud providers, search engines, office suites, social networks, I even tried alternative mobile OS.. But with WhatsApp it's different, by switching to other apps you impose a change of behaviour to your friends and relatives
@emmecola @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 I did’t want to say you are lazy. Actually you did even more than me. I thought the excuse was. The point of view to expose you to your friends is new to me. Thanks for that. I did not see any danger there. Is there one? What might happen?
@HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 @buntstiftvonm Well there is no real danger, I don't think people will stop writing to me because they have to download yet another app (I hope not! 😅). But I don't like forcing other people to change their habits only to communicate with me, maybe even asking them to spend money (while a message via WA is free). I don't know, perhaps I'm overthinking it 🙂
@emmecola @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 I think it‘s valuable to think like that. Unfortunately, it stifles change in a fear of imposing supposed inconvenience. Especially as Signal is at no charge and paying with your data may not charge money but it‘s not for free. But still I fully underdtand your concerns.
axel.@buntstiftvonm @emmecola @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 The problem is not single contacts imho but group chats that organize local communities. If you single-handedly move out of WhatsApp, you exclude yourself from that community’s communication.
@axeln @emmecola @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 True. That‘s tricky. Is the group crucial for you? Keep only this group and move the rest. Does WhatsApp need access to your contacts, your location etc? And the more people are moving away the less „mandatory“ would WhatsApp be for groups. Still it seems like a lazy excuse to do nothing and to justify even though you know better.
@axeln @HennaVirkkunen @Nick44 @buntstiftvonm Maybe this recent news will serve as an additional motivation for lazy WhatsApp users..
Steve Herman (@[email protected])
WhatsApp can access virtually all of it 3 billion users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications,” according to a lawsuit filed against Meta. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72183413/1/dawson-v-meta-platforms-inc/
Tykayn@HennaVirkkunen
Cool, now lets make it easy to move out with interoperability and get back privacy with true e2ee and pfs, without USA owning any way to handle keys. Like, you know, real caring of fundamental rights.
Cool, now lets make it easy to move out with interoperability and get back privacy with true e2ee and pfs, without USA owning any way to handle keys. Like, you know, real caring of fundamental rights.
notsoloud@HennaVirkkunen
If you could force them to allow interoperability with other apps that would be really great. And it shouldn't take years.
If you could force them to allow interoperability with other apps that would be really great. And it shouldn't take years.
JWcph, Radicalized By Decency@notsoloud @HennaVirkkunen Also, watch out for their next trick: Splitting up the service to nominally get under that limit.
Herefordrob
Catharina@HennaVirkkunen What about the application of interoperability between platforms in the Digital Market Act to avoid the lock-in of users who want to leave Whatsapp but don't want to lose contact with Whatsapp-groups? Will the designation of Whatsapp as a very large online platform change anything with regards to this issue?
anon_4601#WhatsAppAlternatives #METABoycott #USAboycott
European privacy-friendly options, I’m not an expert. What do you think about these? Did I miss anything?
🏆️️️ SESSION 🇨🇭*
Focus on high anonymity.
Decentralized network , easy to use.
No phone, ID or email required.
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🎖️ SIMPLEX 🇬🇧 *
Focus on maximum privacy
No user IDs or phone numbers required. Looks bit more complex. FREE
🎖️DELTA CHAT 🇩🇪 *
Super easy to use, user can open an account just with a nick name. No user IDs or phone numbers required.
Uses mail protocol, some have security concerns. FREE
🎖️ THREEMA 🇨🇭**
Very popular in Germany
Uses anonymous 8-digit Threema ID. Proprietary code (but audited)
1 time 5€
ELEMENTx/MATRIX 🇬🇧 *
Federated. Communicate with anyone using Matrix protocol. Complex for the general public, some have bridge safety concerns. FREE
SIGNAL 🇺🇸 🚫 **
It's 🇺🇸 & requires a Phone N. Metadata concerns.FREE
*Open Source
**Hybrid OS 50%-50%Proprietary