WhatsApp will soon start sharing your data with Facebook as a condition of using the app. It took a turn that started when Facebook first acquired the app in 2014.
At the time, WhatsApp assured users that their data would remain private and not shared with Facebook …
Background
Shortly after WhatsApp was sold to Facebook for $ 19 billion, the messaging app gave reassurance in a blog post.
There was also a lot of inaccurate and indifferent information circulating about what our future partnership would mean for WhatsApp users’ data and privacy. I would like to correct the record […]
Respect for your privacy is encoded in our DNA, and we built WhatsApp to aim to know as little as possible about you […] If a partnership with Facebook meant we had to change our values, we would not have done it. Instead, we form a partnership that enables us to continue independently and autonomously. Our fundamental values and beliefs will not change. Our principles will not change.
The first part of the U-turn took place in 2016, when WhatsApp started sharing standard data with Facebook.
By coordinating more with Facebook, we can do things like track down basic metrics about how often people use our services and can fight better spam on WhatsApp. And by linking your phone number to Facebook’s systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show more relevant ads if you have an account with them.
At the time, however, existing users could not choose the data exchange.
If you are an existing user, you can choose not to share your WhatsApp account information with Facebook to enhance your Facebook ads and experiences. Existing users who accept our updated terms and privacy policies have an additional 30 days to make this choice by going to Settings> Account.
WhatsApp to share your data with Facebook as a condition of use
Upcoming changes to the messaging app’s privacy policy remove the opt-out option, as seen by XDA Developers.
WhatsApp users today receive an in-app notification about the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The notification, as you can see in the attached screenshot, talks about three key updates that affect how WhatsApp processes your data, how businesses can use Facebook services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats, and how WhatsApp will soon be using Facebook work together to present. deeper integrations in all of the latter’s products. It further shows that these changes will take effect on February 8th and that users have no choice but to accept these changes if they want to continue using WhatsApp.
Your data will now be used, among other things, to display personalized ads.
Improving their services and your experiences using them, such as making suggestions for you (for example, from friends or group connections, or interesting content), personalizing features and content, helping you complete purchases and transactions, and relevant listings and advertisements to show the Facebook company products.
You can read the full details here.
However, WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for all messages – text, voice and video – and therefore cannot view or use the content of your messages or calls. Update: The new privacy policy also does not apply to Europe due to stronger privacy legislation there.
The news follows a piece that highlights the many different amounts of information linked to user identities through four messaging applications: Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It was revealed by Apple that requires apps to disclose the personal data they collect, and the ways in which it is used.
Photo: Rachit Tank on Unsplash
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