WhatsApp and transparency - an analysis on the effects of digital platforms’ opacity in political communication research agendas in Brazil

Sep 22, 2026

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This article discusses environmental opacity in mobile instant messaging services (MIMS), focusing on WhatsApp and end-to-end encryption as the basis of opacity. It frames two dilemmas tied to transparency in digital private communication: encryption’s dual role in protecting privacy while enabling misinformation and harmful content, and how opacity affects scholarly ethics and transparency when researching WhatsApp and similar MIMS. It reviews related literature and argues that countries like Brazil and India faced negative impacts after political groups adopted WhatsApp.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Mobile instant messaging services and opacity

Relationship between opacity and transparency; privacy and publicity

WhatsApp and transparency: an analysis on the effects of digital platforms’ opacity in political communication research agendas in Brazil Viktor Chagas; Gabriella Da-Costa Nota: Este artículo se puede leer en español en: [https://revista.profesionaldelainformacion.com/index.php/EPI/article/view/87120](https://revista.profesionaldelainformacion.com/index.php/EPI/article/view/87120) Recommended citation: Chagas, Viktor; Da-Costa, Gabriella (2023) . “WhatsApp and transparency: an analysis on the effects of digital platforms’ opacity in political communication research agendas in Brazil”. Profesional de la información, v. 32, n. 2, e320223 . [https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.mar.23](https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.mar.23) Manuscript received on September 20th 2022 Accepted on February 1st 2023 Viktor Chagas * [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1806-6062](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1806-6062) Fluminense Federal University Department of Media and Cultural Studies Rua Professor Marcos Waldemar de Freitas Reis, s/n Niterói, RJ CEP: 24210-201 Brazil [viktor@midia.uff.br](viktor@midia.uff.br) Gabriella Da-Costa [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-4544](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-4544) Fluminense Federal University Communication Graduate Program Rua Professor Marcos Waldemar de Freitas Reis, s/n Niterói, RJ CEP: 24210-201 Brazil [gabrielladacosta@gmail.com](gabrielladacosta@gmail.com) Abstract This article aims to discuss what we call environmental opacity, a condition of mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) that operates on the basis of end-to-end encryption systems. Utilizing WhatsApp as a specific example, the article presents two fundamental dilemmas around which some issues concerning transparency are mobilized when it comes to digital private communication. The first of them relates to how end-to-end encryption has simultaneously become an asset and a problem for democratic environments; on the one hand, protecting users’ privacy, and on the other, allowing for the circulation of misinformation and harmful content. The second dilemma deals with how this environment of opacity impacts the ethics and transparency of scholarly research focused on WhatsApp and other MIMSs. The paper also reviews an extensive body of studies that discuss the political uses of WhatsApp in different dimensions, and argues that emerging countries with large user bases, such as Brazil and India, have experienced a series of negative effects after the adoption of WhatsApp by politically oriented groups. Among the main proposals, the article suggests some measures to foster platform transparency and facilitate scientific research instead of hindering it. Keywords Algorithmic transparency; WhatsApp; Environmental opacity; Political communication; Privacy; Mobile instant messaging services; Research ethics; Policies. Funding This article benefits from the support of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development–CNPq (Productivity Fellowship PQ-2 No. 306791/2021-8) and the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Young Scholar Fellowship No. 259788 and Grant No. 249104) . This study was approved by the Fluminense Federal University Ethics Committee, permission No. 29720620.8.0000.5243. Profesional de la información, 2023, v. 32, n. 2. e-ISSN: 1699-2407 1 Viktor Chagas; Gabriella Da-Costa 1. Introduction In the last half-decade, mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) have become a matter of concern for governments, civil society, and academic researchers, due to their opacity and the difficulty of monitoring the circulation of content harmful to democracy, such as mis/disinformation and hate speech, which particularly flood the discussion groups they host (Rossini; Stromer-Galley; De-Oliveira, 2020; Banaji; Bhat, 2019) . There is a recent but vast literature that has sought to discuss these platforms, with an emphasis on specific se

FAQs

What does the article mean by “environmental opacity” in WhatsApp research?

It refers to how mobile instant messaging services operate through end-to-end encryption, creating opacity that complicates transparency and monitoring in political communication contexts.

Which two dilemmas about transparency does the article focus on?

First, end-to-end encryption is both an asset and a problem for democratic environments by protecting privacy while allowing misinformation and harmful content. Second, opacity affects the ethics and transparency of scholarly research on WhatsApp and other MIMSs.

What negative effects does the article associate with WhatsApp adoption by politically oriented groups?

It argues that emerging countries with large user bases, such as Brazil and India, experienced negative effects after adoption, including the spread of fake news, increased distrust in democratic institutions, political radicalization, and dangerous speech.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by James