London: WhatsApp users have reportedly discovered a flaw in the messaging service, as a result of which, even those who have apparently left this world, appear `active` in the virtual world.
The apparent flaw was discovered when a subscriber noticed a friend`s account appeared active, two years after he died.
It was later revealed that the confusion arose because the mobile phone operator had reassigned the late person`s number to someone else.
As WhatsApp users are identified only through their phone number, instead of any user name, the incidence has highlighted a security gap which could lead to people sending messages to wrong recipients.
A WhatsApp employee has advised that in order to avoid such confusion, one must delete the old mobile phone number from their address book.
Meanwhile, an online security expert Graham Cluley said that it is clearly distressing for the friends and family of someone who has passed away to suddenly see them apparently `alive and active` on WhatsApp adding that it would be better if the app required password or email address for user registration.
WhatsApp was founded in 2009, and now boasts of more than 350million users worldwide which is 120million more than Twitter, however, it has been distressed by security concerns, the report added.
