It’s been about a month, right in the wake of Apple against the FBI, since WhatsApp added a new privacy feature by announcing that it would introduce end-to-end encryption for all of its 1 billion users.

From 5 April, every message, every video recording, every voice note and every photo exchanged through the application are visible only to the parties involved in the communication and to no one else. WhatsApp can’t see them, government surveillance agencies can’t, potential hackers can’t, nobody (or almost anyone).

The company’s website reads:

“ End-to-end encryption on WhatsApp ensures that only you and the person you’re communicating with are able to read what is being sent, and no one else, not even WhatsApp. This is because the messages are protected by a padlock, and only the recipient and has the special key needed to unlock and read them. For added security, each message sent has its own lock and unique key. All of this happens automatically: you don’t need to activate settings or set up special secret chats to protect your messages “.

With the Brussels attacks still painfully fresh in everyone’s mind, the company’s move has reignited the issue of the relationship between national security and individual privacy . This week, in this regard, WhatsApp was blocked in Brazil , showing how governments around the world are concerned about the new level of encryption.

On the other hand, however, the technological world and a good part of users have welcomed the introduction of cryptography. WhatsApp has acquired a new dose of authority and credibility, so much so that it is labeled as an “example to follow”, a real forerunner on the subject of privacy in line with a process of democratization of communication for the masses.

And there are all good reasons to think so.

True, an attacker can still spy on WhatsApp using apps , but they must be installed on the victim’s phone. This can also happen remotely, but it is necessary to deceive the owner of the phone.

Why doesn’t encryption protect us from these apps? Simple. These apps read WhatsApp messages after they are directly on the victim’s phone, as if the phone screen was visible from another computer. Encryption, on the other hand, protects messages as they travel from one phone to another.

That said, however, some questions remain. And maybe even some doubts. Here they are:

1. What happens with the metadata?

WhatsApp will continue to keep a record of its users’ metadata. This means that even if the content of a message cannot be read by anyone, including WhatsApp, the telephone numbers involved in the exchange, as well as the time, will remain stored on the company’s server . In other words, if a court forces WhatsApp to provide information about a user, the amount of metadata available would be enough to create a profile and draw some strong conclusions. Knowing that someone has spoken, with whom, at what time, and how many times a day, is already a lot. Do not you think?

And it’s not only governments could get their hands on this data, hackers could too.

2. What about Facebook?

In 2014 WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook, which as you probably know is not the most advanced company in terms of privacy. Its income comes from ads , and to make ads work well you need data on consumer behavior and personality.

This is a necessary evil that is part of today’s hyper competitive and saturated market and, to be honest, I use Facebook Ads too, but that doesn’t change the fact that user privacy is not at the top of Facebook’s priority list. .

And that is why certain concerns about WhatsApp’s quest to ensure privacy for 1 billion people are legitimate.

Just a few months ago the images made public by Android developer Javier Santos previewed a possible beta update for WhatsApp which showed that the company is planning to ask users to share their WhatsApp information with Facebook, to improve the use of the ‘application. If this happens in the future, then Facebook could see all of the metadata we talked about earlier.

The metadata could be used to create an even more accurate profile of users, and then targeted ads could be created to the limit with the right to privacy.

But even if this never happens and the two Facebook and WhatsApp accounts remain separate, there is still the Facebook question, which asks users to associate their phone number with their account . And do you know what else is associated with that phone number? Exactly your WhatsApp account.

3. What about the money?

Right now, WhatsApp doesn’t make any money; has no source of income. In the beginning, we tried to monetize the service itself with a subscription. Then WhatsApp became free for everyone . No payment for any feature, forever.

But somewhere some money will also have to arrive. Of course, WhatsApp has an increasingly ad-free business orientation , its goal is to allow users to communicate with companies more easily, without the hassle of having to call, send an email, or fill out a contact form.

But will this be enough to bring the hoped-for revenues ?

Which brings us back to Facebook and that inexhaustible source of money that is metadata.

All of this remains to be seen. WhatsApp is now in the spotlight; everyone’s eyes are on the company, ready to catch his every move.

Whatever happens, there’s no denying what WhatsApp has done – it’s not just a huge step forward for online privacy , but a much-needed challenge for any tech company. The company has raised the bar, and the others will have to adapt. WhatsApp has done its part, and now it’s the turn of the other companies.