WhatsApp CEO wants Apple to do more on privacy of iPhone users

The Pegasus spyware scandal has rocked many countries across the world, including India. Government officials, senior political figures, journalists, activists — many have been targeted and their phones being ‘hacked’. Apple’s iMessage has also been targeted and Apple came out with a statement.

WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart has called out Apple on this statement in an interview with The Guardian. Cathcart speaking on the scandal said that, “This should be a wake up call for security on the internet … mobile phones are either safe for everyone or they are not safe for everyone.”

Cathcart praised the likes of Microsoft and other tech companies for speaking about dangers of malware and wants Apple to do more. “I hope that Apple will start taking that approach too,” Cathcart told The Guardian. “Be loud, join in. It’s not enough to say, most of our users don’t need to worry about this. It’s not enough to say ‘oh this is only thousands or tens of thousands of victims’,” said Cathcart.

What Ivan Krstić, head of Apple Security Engineering, had said that the threat exists but majority of Apple users were safe.

In a statement, Krstić had said, “Apple unequivocally condemns cyberattacks against journalists, human rights activists, and others seeking to make the world a better place. For over a decade, Apple has led the industry in security innovation and, as a result, security researchers agree iPhone is the safest, most secure consumer mobile device on the market. Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.”

Cathcart also told The Guardian, “If this is affecting journalists all around the world, this is affecting human rights defenders all around the world, that affects us all. And if anyone’s phone is not secured that means everyone’s phone is not secure.”