Secret-sharing app Whisper shared secrets like last known location and actual password tokens in exposed database Whisper, a mobile app for sharing those thoughts you'd rather not make public, turns out to be better at sharing secrets than keeping them, spilling a whopping 90 metadata fields associated with users in an exposed database. The app, launched in 2012, is intended as a way for people to "share real thoughts and feelings, forge …
"900 million user records" and "90 metadata fields" suggests 10 million users. And it's not really users, it's induhvidual logins, including those who tried it once and then never went back, and the ubiquitous trolls with multiple accounts. I'd be surprised if they have even one million active users.
Note to my fellow Yanks: "Chinese Whispers" is the name the Brits (and non-Yank derivatives) use for the children's game we call "Telephone".
This trans-Atlantic translation service brought to you by the letter T and the number 6. We now return you to your usual unfounded speculation and bickering
Yet another private equity funded idea which was developed only to the point that it could be released, regardless of any software issues, and with subsequent development focused on new features, also regardless of any software issues. Fixing software issues doesn't bring in new users.
[Whisper is] a way for people to "share real thoughts and feelings, forge relationships and engage in conversations on an endless variety of topics – without identities or profiles."
So kind of like El Reg then. Just with more Adams and Pratchett references and fewer attempts by El Reg to determine unscientically / randomly by algorithm if we're sexual predators or not.
Did I ever mention that my town has a sex dungeon, apparently within 5 minutes' walk of the station? And that my office is opposite the station. There's no connection between these two info-bytes. But I'm happy to take any insults thrown my way. After all, "sticks and stones may break my bones - but whips and chains excite me."
I don't trust companies like this with any of my public data, let alone telling the cunts actual secrets. What sort of moron would do that?
Also, in the interests of this distinguished organ keeping pace with the bleeding edge techbros, could the El Reg Standards Bureau settle on its own sexual predator scale?
Might I suggest rating it in Weinsteins?
"When three sit down to talk revolution, two are fools and the third is a police spy."
If the DEA or FBI get involved, 2 will be police (DEA/FBI) trying to convince the third to start a revolution so that they can then arrest that 3rd person for starting a revolution.
Mobile phone app snoops on users and cloud app makers accumulate vast amounts of data which is promptly "externally appropriated."
This is news?
Did you know you postfix has an option which causes email to fail to transfer if it can't connect with SSL?
Big Tech - making stupid easy.
Curing cancer is rubbish! What we need to know is if Brexit increases house prices.
And did the EU kill Diana. Oh sorry, that’s the Express. But we all know Selmayr used to drive a Fiat Uno.
And remainers is an anagram of mein arse. Mumble, mumble, mumble extra r...
When Whisper launched way back in 2012, similar worries had users on edge. The difference between then and now, is that the company is now in the middle of haggling billions of private data to miscreants over the internet. There is an algorithm that Google and other search engines use to stay away from the fire, but really, it is only propagating this further. Whisper managed to engineer AI that has leaked over 600 million users' data over its course of life.
~Engineer.AI
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