Researchers from the University of Vienna and SBA Research did something pretty astonishing: they were able to retrieve all existing WhatsApp numbers. In fact, they were able to view and analyze an incredible 3.5 billion WhatsApp profiles , making this one of the largest data collection efforts in history.

According to the researchers, all existing WhatsApp profiles were unprotected on the web and they were able to download all phone numbers and their associated profile data. The researchers informed Meta (owner of WhatsApp) about this leak back in September 2024, but Mark Zuckerberg’s company didn’t respond at first. (Incidentally, Meta is being sued by a former WhatsApp security chief !)

Meta’s initial lack of interest is all the more surprising when you consider everything that em

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