If you are on WhatsApp, this article will definitely be of interest to you. The company has updated its privacy policy that allows it to share your information with Facebook. Just so you know, Facebook acquired WhatsApp more than two years ago but the two platforms have been operating independently until now.
WhatsApp revealed the changes yesterday through its official blog post saying, “Today, we’re updating WhatsApp’s terms and privacy policy for the first time in four years, as part of our plans to test ways for people to communicate with businesses in the months ahead.”
The company went ahead to reveal that it will share users’ phone number along with other metrics that might help Facebook deliver more relevant ads to users. Ever since Facebook acquired WhatsApp, we were expecting some sort of partnership between the two so this announcement did not come as a surprise. The metrics WhatsApp shares with Facebook will definitely cause some friction with users especially the one that includes sharing the last time an individual used the service. This is almost invading users’ privacy and will definitely not go well with all individuals.
“People use our app every day to keep in touch with the friends and loved ones who matter to them, and this isn’t changing. But as we announced earlier this year, we want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam,” the company said in a statement. This then raises the question, which is better, having to deal with ads that have a potential of being spam or having your data shared with Facebook for ad targeting?
WhatsApp went ahead to say, “Whether it’s hearing from your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction, or getting notified by an airline about a delayed flight, many of us get this information elsewhere, including in text messages and phone calls. We want to test these features in the next several months, but need to update our terms and privacy policy to do so.”
As for which company it shares data with, WhatsApp says that it will only share your information with companies that fall under the Facebook Family (Instagram included). The company also reiterated that Facebook will not be able to access the content of your communication as this is protected by the end-to-end encryption update it rolled out a few months ago.
We will be following this story closely to see how it goes.
Also Read: The Latest WhatsApp Beta for Android Brings Voicemail and Call Back Features
