![]() ![]() ![]() It took me and Kash, a data-privacy rock star, a good amount of reporting to understand. Unfortunately, WhatsApp did a terrible job explaining what was new in its privacy policy. WhatsApp’s policies changed to reflect the possibility of commercial transactions involving the mingling of activity among Facebook apps - a handbag you browse in WhatsApp could pop up later in your Instagram app, for example. The reason WhatsApp recently notified app users about revised privacy rules is that Facebook is trying to make WhatsApp a place to chat with an airline about a missed flight, browse for handbags and pay for stuff. The Wall Street Journal also ran through the pros and cons of several popular messaging apps. The digital privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation says Signal and WhatsApp are good choices for most people. ![]() There are alternatives, including Signal and Telegram - both of which have gotten a surge of new users recently. But yes, WhatsApp is Facebook, a company many don’t trust. It’s easy to use, and communications in the app are secure. Facebook also says that it doesn’t keep records on whom people are contacting in WhatsApp, and WhatsApp contacts aren’t shared with Facebook. Here’s what changed with WhatsApp, and what didn’t:įacebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, and since 2016, almost everyone using the messaging app has been (usually unknowingly) sharing information about their activity with Facebook.įacebook knows the phone numbers being used, how often the app is opened, the resolution of the device screen, the location estimated from the internet connection and more, as my colleague Kashmir Hill explained five years ago.įacebook uses this information to make sure WhatsApp works properly and to help a shoe company show you an ad on Facebook.įacebook can’t peer at the content of texts or phone calls because WhatsApp communications are scrambled. ![]()
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