DW Freedom Talk - From encryption to influence: WhatsApp's role in shaping global public discourse

With more than three billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world. Many of us rely on it on a daily basis to share personal updates, intimate conversations, and sensitive information - trusting its encryption to keep our data safe and private. But how secure is our communication, really?

 

In their book, WhatsApp in the World, media scholars Sahana Udupa and Herman Wasserman offer the first systematic global study of WhatsApp as an encrypted instant messaging service. Rather than treating encryption as a purely technical safeguard, they introduce the concept of “lived encryptions” - exploring how encryption is experienced, interpreted, and sometimes exploited in different cultural and political contexts. 

Join our DW Freedom Talk as we unpack the complexities of encrypted messaging, digital privacy, and the power dynamics behind everyday communication. From state surveillance accessing private chats to political actors using closed groups to spread propaganda, how is WhatsApp’s promise of privacy compromised or repurposed in ways that shape public discourse and global narratives? Let’s find out! 

Speakers:

Herman Wasserman – Professor at CINIA / Stellenbosch University’s Department of Journalism

Sahana Udupa – Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich’s Institute for Ethnology

Oliver Linow - DW Internet Freedom Specialist / IT and Cybersecurity

Moderation: 

Steffen Leidel - Senior Consultant Africa, DW Akademie

Please register by September 4th, 12:00 pm! 

Date:  September 4, 2025

Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm (Entry: 4:30 pm)

Where: Deutsche Welle, Voltastr. 6, 13355 Berlin (Room: N102)