Whisper app tracks user locations even when they opt out

Anonymish social network Whisper is tracking some users’ location even after they opt out of tracking, according to a new report. The Guardian says that in the course of discussing a partnership with the Los Angeles company, it discovered that Whisper monitors users’ rough location regardless of whether tracking has been disabled, and re-wrote its terms of service this week to give itself explicit permission to do so.

The company behind Whisper, the social media app that promises users anonymity and claims to be the “the safest place on the internet”, is tracking the location of its users, including some who have specifically asked not to be followed. The practice of monitoring the whereabouts of Whisper users – including those who have expressly opted out of geolocation services – will alarm users, who are encouraged to disclose intimate details about their private and professional lives. Whisper is also sharing information with the US Department of Defense gleaned from smartphones it knows are used from military bases, and developing a version of its app to conform with Chinese censorship laws.