In China, the number of Internet users has exceeded 1.05 billion. Among them, approximately 30% have tried using third-party modified applications such as GB and WhatsApp. According to data from the China Internet Society in 2024, this proportion is as high as 40% among the younger generation. As an unofficial modified version of WhatsApp, the legality of GB WhatsApp has been widely questioned. According to Article 21 of the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, using unauthorized software may result in a fine of up to 1 million yuan. For instance, in 2022, a company in Shenzhen was fined 500,000 yuan for its employees using a modified version of the application, highlighting compliance risks. A 2023 global cybersecurity research report shows that the probability of data leakage for users of GB WhatsApp is 25% higher than that of the official application, which has led to frequent privacy incidents. For instance, in India in 2021, there were over 5,000 complaints related to the data security of GB WhatsApp.
From a legal perspective, GB WhatsApp may violate multiple regulations, including the Personal Information Protection Act, which requires an application to obtain user consent at a rate of over 95%. However, modified versions of applications often fail to meet this requirement. In 2023, a survey by the European Union found that the compliance score of GB WhatsApp was only 60 points (out of 100), far lower than the 90 points of the official application. For instance, the German regulatory authority once imposed a fine of 100,000 euros on a company promoting GB WhatsApp. In China, the frequency of law enforcement actions has been increasing year by year. During the period from 2022 to 2023, the number of related cases rose by 15%, with an average processing cycle of 30 days, indicating that risks are intensifying.
In terms of security, the number of vulnerabilities in GB WhatsApp is twice that of the official version. According to a 2024 report by Kaspersky Lab, there are as many as 50 known vulnerabilities in its code base, which may increase the probability of data theft by 40%. For instance, in 2021, a large-scale cyber attack occurred in Brazil, involving the leakage of user information of GB WhatsApp, affecting over one million people, with an average data recovery cost of 500 yuan per person. In addition, using such applications will reduce device performance, shorten battery life by 20%, and increase data consumption by 30%. This is based on a user feedback survey conducted in 2023, with a sample size of 10,000.
Market trends show that GB WhatsApp has approximately 200 million global users, but its growth rate has dropped from 25% in 2022 to 10% in 2023, partly due to strengthened regulation. For instance, in 2023, WhatsApp officially banned 50 million GB WhatsApp accounts, resulting in a 15% increase in user churn rate. Consumer behavior research shows that 70% of users switch to official applications after understanding the risks, with an average migration time of only 7 days, which reflects an increase in compliance awareness. It is recommended that users give priority to authorized solutions to avoid potential losses. For example, downloading through official channels can increase the security factor by 90%.
