WhatsApp faces scrutiny in higher education

Uncertainty surrounds the use of WhatsApp in higher education. Hogeschool Utrecht has advised its employees to switch to Signal. Local student unions also back the move.

The Signal messaging app is rapidly gaining ground and now tops the Dutch download lists. Entire groups of friends are ditching WhatsApp, despite the occasional discussions and hassle it causes. Higher education institutions are also considering making the switch.

Distrust of WhatsApp has grown following policy changes by parent company Meta, which also owns Instagram and Facebook. Owner Mark Zuckerberg announced in early January in a video message that he would be ending third-party fact-checking. Critics have expressed their concern about the spread of fake news and hateful content.

Privacy

Higher education institutions are also looking for a safer alternative. Recently, employees of Hogeschool Utrecht (HU) were advised to switch to Signal. Avans University of Applied Sciences is also currently debating the merits of Signal versus WhatsApp.

The HU argues that, unlike WhatsApp, Signal ensures that user data remains private. Moreover, Signal is a non-profit organisation and its interests differ from those of Meta, which is profit-driven. Signal is also entirely open source, allowing the programming language to be verified.

SURF, the IT cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions, has yet to issue any guideline for the use of WhatsApp or Signal. “We do observe this discussion actively engaging our members, and also that Signal is being more widely adopted”, the spokesperson said.

Student unions

The Dutch Student Union (LSVb) is also concerned about students’ privacy. The issue was raised just last week at the general membership meeting, reports Chair Abdelkader Karbache: “Our local branches are in favour of switching to Signal or other open-source software.”

The use of WhatsApp in higher education has been questioned before. Five years ago, internet pioneer and privacy activist Marleen Stikker suggested that higher education institutions should switch to systems that incorporate privacy by design as a fundamental feature. She urged everyone to be vigilant: “It’s perfectly okay for students or teachers to be demanding customers”.

Two years ago, TikTok came under scrutiny in higher education. Saxion University of Applied Sciences asked its staff not to use the Chinese app on their work phone. Erasmus University Rotterdam also urgently advised staff to remove TikTok from their work phone due to ‘an increased espionage risk’.