Hello? WhatsApp Is Already Sharing Data With Facebook!

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People are worried that a new WhatsApp privacy policy update will force them to share data with Facebook.

Well, here’s the real surprise – don’t you know that WhatsApp is already doing that?

Find out what’s going on, and what WhatsApp is really changing…

 

New WhatsApp Privacy Policy : Share Data With Facebook?

Many of you may have woken up to this pop-up on WhatsApp, alerting you to a change in its terms and privacy policy, which takes effect on 8 February 2021.

While you can delay the decision by clicking NOT NOW, you have to accept the new terms and privacy policy, to continue using WhatsApp.

Otherwise, the alert subtly suggests, you should “delete your account”.

 

Hello? WhatsApp Is Already Sharing Data With Facebook!

Many WhatsApp users are shocked by this new development, and pondering about whether they should jump to Telegram or some other instant messenger.

What’s more egregious though is that many websites are “warning” their readers about this new, shocking development.

The fact of the matter is – WhatsApp has been sharing data with Facebook for years!

In The Beginning : Private Communication Assured

After Facebook bought WhatsApp for a cool US$19 billion, Jan Koum set the record straight on 17 March 2014 :

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.

2016 : WhatsApp Starts Sharing Data With Facebook

In August 2016, WhatsApp announced that they would start sharing data with Facebook, after rolling out end-to-end encryption.

[B]y coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp. And by connecting your phone number with Facebook’s systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them. For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard of.

At that time, WhatsApp offered existing users a special one-time only option to opt-out of the data sharing, but only if they did it within 30 days.

If you are an existing user, you can choose not to have your WhatsApp account information shared with Facebook to improve your Facebook ads and products experiences. Existing users who accept our updated Terms and Privacy Policy will have an additional 30 days to make this choice by going to Settings > Account.

If you did not opt-out within 30 days back in August 2016, your data would be shared with Facebook.

This opt-out option was NOT provided to new WhatsApp users who registered on or after 25 August 2016.

After 24 September 2016 : WhatsApp Has Been Sharing Data With Facebook

With the singular exception of existing users who managed to opt-out by 24 September 2016, the data of every other WhatsApp user has been shared with Facebook.

8 February 2021 Onwards : More Information Is Shared

What will really change from 8 February 2021 onwards is the additional information that WhatsApp will share with Facebook :

  • Status Information. You may provide us your status if you choose to include one on your account. Learn how to use status on Android, iPhone, or KaiOS.
  • Transactions And Payments Data. If you use our payments services, or use our Services meant for purchases or other financial transactions, we process additional information about you, including payment account and transaction information. Payment account and transaction information includes information needed to complete the transaction (for example, information about your payment method, shipping details and transaction amount). If you use our payments services available in your country or territory, our privacy practices are described in the applicable payments privacy policy.
  • Location Information. We collect and use precise location information from your device with your permission when you choose to use location-related features, like when you decide to share your location with your contacts or view locations nearby or locations others have shared with you. There are certain settings relating to location-related information which you can find in your device settings or the in-app settings, such as location sharing. Even if you do not use our location-related features, we use IP addresses and other information like phone number area codes to estimate your general location (e.g., city and country). We also use your location information for diagnostics and troubleshooting purposes.
  • User Reports. Just as you can report other users, other users or third parties may also choose to report to us your interactions and your messages with them or others on our Services; for example, to report possible violations of our Terms or policies. When a report is made, we collect information on both the reporting user and reported user.
  • Businesses On WhatsApp. Businesses you interact with using our Services may provide us with information about their interactions with you. We require each of these businesses to act in accordance with applicable law when providing any information to us.When you message with a business on WhatsApp, keep in mind that the content you share may be visible to several people in that business. In addition, some businesses might be working with third-party service providers (which may include Facebook) to help manage their communications with their customers. For example, a business may give such third-party service provider access to its communications to send, store, read, manage, or otherwise process them for the business. To understand how a business processes your information, including how it might share your information with third parties or Facebook, you should review that business’ privacy policy or contact the business directly.

 

Opted Out In 2016? It Is Still Honoured!

WhatsApp will apparently continue to honour the decision of those who opted-out of data sharing in August 2016.

For those who opted out, you can agree to the new policy, and your data will still NOT be shared with Facebook.

To check if you opted-out in August 2016, you will need to check in your WhatsApp account – Settings > Account > Request Account Info.

 

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