Over the past few years Whatsapp has served me well in communicating with friends on other platforms. But now that we have BBM cross-platform Whatsapp can no longer be found on my BlackBerry 10 device. One of the questions I have run into with buddies who I have told to download BBM is "what makes it better than Whatsapp?"

Clearly there is a whole list of things to reel off but The Metro newspaper has published an interesting article which just goes to show the extra security that we have with BBM. BlackBerry users will all be familiar with the fact that BBM messages are sent via PIN to PIN. But with Whatsapp it is all done through mobile numbers. Whoever you have in your contacts list that has Whatsapp installed on their smartphone will appear in your Whatsapp list. While some folk won't care about this, the following is a perfect example of why the Whatsapp way is not the best.

The Metro has reported that a Whatsapp user noticed a friend being active on the instant messaging client two years after his death. This would be enough to shock and confuse anyone! The reason this occurred is that the mobile number had been reassigned to a new user and therefore the poor chap that had passed away was not in fact able to Whatsapp from heaven, but instead it was a new random person with the same phone number.

Online security expert Graham Cluley said: ‘It’s clearly very distressing for the friends and family of someone who has passed away to suddenly see them apparently “alive and active” on WhatsApp.’

He suggested it would be better if the app required a password or email address when users register ‘rather than just asking for a second-hand phone number’.

Mr Cluley added: ‘WhatsApp has become immensely successful in a very short time, and a serious of security and privacy scares make me feel that the service is attempting to run when it’s barely learnt how to walk.’

Maybe Whatsapp will work on their security features in the future - although this isn't the first time they have hit the headlines in terms of secure data.

But the good news for BlackBerry Messenger is that due to the way it works with a BlackBerry ID being associated with BBM contacts the above issue shouldn't arise.

Have your iPhone and Android buddies used BBM yet? How are they finding it compared to the alternatives? Let us know in the comments.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN HERE http://crackberry.com/more-security-issues-whatsapp

Rubbish,!!!

I couldn't read , although

I rep #team BBM#

when noobs create threads, u will defo know..

Cool down your blood dey hot. One man food is another man poising. Whatsapp has its advantage, simple.

deejay_harry1: when noobs create threads, u will defo know..

just shows the level of your intelligence!

Ur post is devoid of facts. Hw can u keep d contacts of ur dead pals in ur phone? U r rily sick

opibycar: Ur post is devoid of facts. Hw can u keep d contacts of ur dead pals in ur phone? U r rily sick

cant you go to the site i originally sourced the article and voice ur opinion there? cant you tell i didnt write the article myself? idiot

deejay_harry1: lol.. na now u just dey encounter them?? lol.. easy sha.. he no worth am..

Ok sir. I'm unfollowin d thread

LMAO all these nokia peeps sha... hating on bbm

Tajsagay: LMAO all these nokia peeps sha... hating on bbm

you are one clueless niccur. .

deejay_harry1: you are one clueless niccur. .

clap for urself!

yeah my whtasapp has ben hacked and someone is using my number to send people strange messages,i hve tried all my best by re veryfying my account and still i still get unknow add am seing my account joined to some group account,i beging to fear this my last use of whatsapp

Tajsagay:

The Metro has reported that a Whatsapp user noticed a friend being active on the instant messaging client two years after his death. This would be enough to shock and confuse anyone! [size=18pt]The reason this occurred is that the mobile number had been reassigned to a new user [/size]and therefore the poor chap that had passed away was not in fact able to Whatsapp from heaven, but instead it was a new random person with the same phone number.
.



Have your iPhone and Android buddies used BBM yet? How are they finding it compared to the alternatives? Let us know in the comments.

FOR THE DAFT ONES, THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN HERE[size=18pt] http://crackberry.com/[/size]more-security-issues-whatsapp

i am going to go out of my way to question your motives and level of knowledge @ OP

I suppose you did read the article?

and i also suppose you do understand how whatsapp works?

so with the bolded point, can you reconcile how this is a "security problem"?

if it is, then what about making and receiving phone calls on this re-assigned line?

like someone said, it is even much more weird that these faceless people actually kept the phone numbers of their dead pal for more than 2 years after they died. for what please? Do they intend to ring their dead friend? perchance they were not aware their friend was dead, would a phone call not amount to the same thing?


its not like you cannot sell a Blackberry and hence the PIN. if i have a PIN associated with you and u sell your phone, if i decide to add that PIN 3 years later, would it not be the present user i would get?

clearly its even better on android and Iphone where the PINS are linked to BB ID, on Blackberry devices, the PINS are attached to the physical device!! you can move your ID and profile, but if you post your pin here today, and drop the device tomorrow, anyone that adds the pin will get the new user of the device!!



of course lets ignore the fact the article denigrating a very successful competitor is conveniently from CRACKBERRY.


how anyone who installed whatsapp of his own volition can come round to say this is an issue is bemystifying.

If you value your credibility, you will delete this crap post. Don't spread FUD.

EMMAUGOH: yeah my whtasapp has ben hacked and someone is using my number to send people strange messages,i hve tried all my best by re verifying my account and still i still get unknow add am seing my account joined to some group account,i beging to fear this my last use of whatsapp

err, this makes no sense. is your phone number active on 2 separate Sims? or you have your profile backed up on another phone which you have sold? whatsapp will not work via one number on 2 devices simultaneously.

anyways, what i would have expected you to do if in doubt would be to close the account entirely, and then re-register. (just to clear all doubts).