Google’s Messaging App Generates Privacy Concerns (GOOG, AAPL)

Allo, Google’s new messaging app, is generating privacy concerns.

According to a report in tech publication The Verge, the Mountain View company has backtracked on its promise of end-to-end encryption in the app to facilitate machine learning. This means that chat logs between users could be stored indefinitely on the company’s servers. It also means that users who conduct chat sessions in “non-incognito mode” will get better services from Google’s virtual assistant and, also, better auto-reply suggestions. This is because its artificial intelligence system will be able to mine data and chat logs to know more about its users. The company may also be able to put this data to use in other company divisions, such as serving up ads or providing travel planning services using Google Trips. (See also: Google Banks On AI With Its New Messaging App).

Allo has come under sharp criticism from privacy advocates. Edward Snowden, whose 2013 disclosures about NSA spying practices set off alarm bells against tech companies, did not mince words in a series of tweets directed against the app.

Read More: Google’s Messaging App Generates Privacy Concerns (GOOG, AAPL) | Investopedia.