Uncertainty surrounds the use of WhatsApp in higher education. HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht has advised its employees to switch to Signal. Local student unions also back the move.
(Photo: Justyna Botor)
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 University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (HU) were advised to switch to Signal. Avans University of Applied Sciences is also currently debating the merits of Signal versus WhatsApp.
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.
‘Signal is being more widely adopted’
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.
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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”
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff
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