Your WhatsApp messages are encrypted, but are they really secure?

Apart from physical access to handsets, metadata and backups are two common ways in which private communications can be broken

The uproar over leaked WhatsApp messages of some Bollywood actors may have a couple of unintended positive effects. It has led to a focus on the concept of data privacy, and it may lead to questions being asked about overreach by investigative agencies. 

WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end, meaning they can only be read on the devices of sender and recipient (in the case of a group, on all devices of members). The service provider cannot read the message; nor can anybody who intercepts it. 

However, this doesn’t necessarily make WhatsApp totally secure. WhatsApp creates a backup for the last seven days