Facebook acquired WhatsApp back in February 2014 for a staggering $19 billion. At that time, the service had 500 million users; it now boasts over 2 billion users today.
Facebook tried a lot of methods to monetize WhatsApp over the years, introducing business accounts to allow brands to chat with customers and even turning the platform into an e-commerce destination. That said, the app was left as its own entity, and Facebook didn’t meddle too much into the core service itself.
That’s changing now. WhatsApp has updated its privacy policy, and the new terms requires users to share data with Facebook as well as its associated companies, including Facebook Payments, Onavo (a web analytics service and controversial VPN), and CrowdTangle (a social analytics tool). The data that will be shared with Facebook and its companies as part of the new terms includes the following:
*Profile name
*Profile picture
*IP address
*Your phone number and contacts list
*App logs
*Status messages
As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, the other Facebook Companies.
We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings, including the Facebook Company Products.
This is the exact move that WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said the service wouldn’t make following news of the Facebook acquisition:
Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible: You don’t have to give us your name and we don’t ask for your email address. We don’t know your birthday. We don’t know your home address.
We don’t know where you work. We don’t know your likes, what you search for on the internet or collect your GPS location. None of that data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and we really have no plans to change that.
But that stance changed in 2016, when WhatsApp started sharing data with Facebook
So why is WhatsApp changing its policy now? The answer is simple: ads. Facebook is intent on turning WhatsApp into an e-commerce service, and it is running trials in India with Jio for the same.
WhatsApp’s privacy policy via an in-app notification asks them to agree to share personal data, including their phone number, with Facebook.
“By tapping Agree, you accept the new terms, which take effect on February 8, 2021,” the notification states.“After this date, you’ll need to accept the new terms to continue using WhatsApp. You can also visit the Help Center if you would prefer to delete your account.”
Other data set to be shared with WhatsApp’s parent company includes “battery level, signal strength, app version, browser information, mobile network, connection information (including phone number, mobile operator or ISP), language and time zone, IP address, device operations information, and identifiers (including identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account).”
Those who don’t accept the revamped privacy policy by February 8 will no longer be able to use the app.
The policy update is designed to “offer integrations across the Facebook Company Products”, which also includes Instagram and Messenger, according to WhatsApp.The new terms and conditions also means that simply deleting the app will not prevent WhatsApp from retaining a user’s private data. To ensure the service no longer continues to do this, users must instead use the in-app feature for deleting their account.
The policy notes that even after using this delete feature, some data will remain with the company, stating: “When you delete your account, it does not affect your information related to the groups you created or the information other users have relating to you, such as their copy of the messages you sent them.”
The move comes a month after Apple started requiring iOS app makers, including WhatsApp, to detail the information they collect from users. According to the App Store, WhatsApp reserves the right to collect: purchases, financial information, location, contacts, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics.
The fact that there’s no way to opt out of the data sharing is unfortunate, and it means you’ll have to look for an alternative service. WhatsApp gained momentum because of its end-to-end encryption and exhaustive feature-set, and it is sad to see the service go down this route.
WhatsApp is so intertwined into the fabric of the internet in countries like India that it’s not possible to dissociate from the service. Facebook knows this very well, and that may have been one of the main motivators behind the policy shift.
If you’re in a position to switch away from WhatsApp, now is the time to do so. Signal is a great alternative, and it uses the same encryption protocol as WhatsApp. There’s also Telegram if you need a more feature-rich platform.