Messaging app WhatsApp is changing its privacy policy from next month. However, WhatsApp messenger says, "you have the right to access, rectify, port, and erase your information, as well as the right to restrict and object to certain processing of your information". But can you trust WhatsApp on this that it will not share your personal data with advertisers on Facebook? To get an answer to it, you must first understand the policy in details.
WhatsApp is part of the $750 billion tech giant Facebook, Inc. headquartered in the US. WhatsApp is making it mandatory to agree to user data being shared with other group companies (including Facebook and Instagram) if one is to use the service after February 8.
But what we as users are not aware that this is nothing new. WhatsApp was already sharing our data. The only difference is that so far, WhatsApp gave users the choice to opt out of their data being shared with other Facebook companies. However, users hardly knew about this and did not apply for the option given to them while accepting the policy, that needed to be exercised within the stipulated 30 days. This means the data was always shared.
As per The New Indian Express, Facebook made around $70 million in revenue in 2019, out of which $69 million was advertising revenue. Facebook mainly collects data such as its users' lifestyle, social circle, political inclinations and so on. These are then ‘sold’ to advertisers, who can target the users based on their behavioural patterns and inclinations.
When Facebook Inc. purchased WhatsApp for a whooping $19 billion in 2014, WhatsApp's policy had explicitly stated that it will not sell advertisements, or monetise user information in any way. However, in 2016, Facebook began collecting user data.
Clarifications and claims
Facebook claims that the chats are encrypted end-to-end, meaning it cannot read the content of your chats.
WhatsApp has clarified publicly that it does not keep logs of who everyone is messaging or calling, see your shared location, or share your contacts.
Actual privacy policy
It keeps a record of how you interact with others using WhatsApp, and the time, frequency and duration of your activities.
It also keeps a record of your phone number, location (if you have enabled it), your phone address book and so on.
How does collecting information help Facebook?
Facebook and Instagram are the apps where people go public with their personal lives.
WhatsApp is more like a personal space for the users.
People make friends on Facebook and from here they take forward their relationship to WhatsApp by sharing their mobile numbers.
Tracking WhatsApp usage gives Facebook a vastly better idea of the strength of relationships between their users.
With this information Facebook knows about the person. This gives insight into aspects of your life.
