WhatsApp Data (non)-Deletion

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In regards to the recent reveal that WhatsApp stores chat logs, even when users believe that they have deleted them, Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group and Former VP of Research at Gartner commented below.

Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group:

“Security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski recently revealed that mobile messaging application WhatsApp stores chat logs, even after they are supposedly deleted. Simply deleting, clearing or archiving chat logs is not enough to remove the forensic trace that is left on mobile devices. Most consumers are still unaware of the difference between deleting and destroying data. The only way to ensure data is unrecoverable is by overwriting it with 0s and 1s multiple times. Then, users should insist on some form of verification that proves their data is truly gone for good to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.”