WhatsApp changed privacy terms:what does it mean for users?

7 years ago

WhatsApp changed privacy terms:what does it mean for users?

If you are WhatsApp users by now you must have heard about the privacy changes that this world's biggest messaging app is making.

On the face of it, it seems like a small change and will probably not affect bulk of your data and usage details that WhatsApp has. But there are some key bots of information that the company will now share with Facebook, which owns WhatsApp.
The reaction to this privacy change has been varied. Different people have reacted in a different, although the people seeing it as a not-so-nice move from WhatsApp are in majority. Now, before you worry -- or not worry -- about the privacy change,

let's us explain what is happening and what are the implications, in six simple points:

First, understand that WhatsApp is changing its privacy policy. The new privacy policy will allow it to "coordinate" Facebook as well as share the phone number of the users with the parent site. Now, sharing the number is clear. It means your WhatsApp number will be shared with facebook and if you have an account with Facebook this number will be used to connect your two accounts -- the Facebook account and the WhatsApp account. This will allow Facebook to "offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them".

The "coordinate" part is not so clear. There can be a number of ways in which WhatsApp "coordinates" with Facebook. For now we can only guess what this co-ordination means but chances are that Facebook will probably have some insight into how you use WhatsApp and the company will then use this "insight" to offer you ads in Facebook timeline that might be relevant to you.

The currently privacy change is only for some sort of data sharing between Facebook and WhatsApp. You still won't see banner advertisements on WhatsApp, similar to what you may see on other messaging app. Even if you see ads in WhatsApp in future, they will be native apps, something similar to the spam SMS, although given unpopular spam SMS are we have a feeling that WhatsApp won't go that route.

So, what does mean for you? Two things. In terms of user experience, nothing will change on WhatsApp. The service will continue to offer the seamless and simple messaging experience. There won't be any intrusive ads. Not, for now. But in the background, things are changing. As noted earlier, some of your WhatsApp data will go to Facebook, including your phone number, and that means your user experience on Facebook change. Depending on information from WhatsApp, you may see different -- in Facebook's language, more relevant -- advertisements on your Facebook timeline.

Should you freak about it? No, you should not. Most people have already given a lot and lot of data to Facebook. The website already has the phone numbers of most of its users. The data it gets from WhatsApp is going to be similar to the data you have already given to it. But be vary. For now, WhatsApp is saying that Facebook won't actually read the WhatsApp messages of its users. It cites the "end-to-end encryption" as a shield that guards user data from such practices. But don't rule it out. At the end of the day, WhatsApp has to make money and as a free service the only it can money is by advertisements. So keep an eye on how WhatsApp and Facebook are using the data that you are feeding into the app.

Finally, if you don't feel all too comfortable with this arrangement between WhatsApp and Facebook, you can opt out of it. While accepting the new privacy policy, just uncheck that option where it says "share my data with Facebook". At least for now that would sever the link between the Facebook and WhatsApp for your phone number.