Rockefeller Digs Into Whisper, Demands Answers and Briefing
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., inquired about the practices of social media app Whisper, which specializes in anonymous sharing of messages. “While Whisper may provide its users a unique social experience, the allegations in recent media accounts are…
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serious, and users are entitled to privacy policies that are transparent, disclosed, and followed by the company,” Rockefeller said to WhisperText CEO Michael Heyward in a Wednesday letter (http://1.usa.gov/1uLkuZv), asking the company to brief committee staffers on its privacy policies. “It is questionable, at best, whether users seeking to post anonymously on the ‘safest place on the internet’ would expect that WhisperText has information sharing relationships with third parties such as media organizations.” Rockefeller expressed concern about allegations that the company has tracked locations of consumers who didn’t want to be tracked and created an office outside the U.S. to process user data despite a policy to the contrary. He also flagged the way the company partners with third parties and shares content. "We share the Senator's interest in protecting consumer privacy and will respond shortly," Heyward said in a statement, saying Whisper disagrees with allegations reported by The Guardian and welcomes "the discussion and opportunity to correct the record."