WhatsApp’s change of privacy policy and how it affects you.

 Renown messaging app WhatsApp owned by Facebook has up to two billion users. Recently, all users have received a notice through a pop-up alert in the app narrowing down on the policies that are in place. This has stirred a debate on Facebook’s promise of privacy. Soon you’ll have to either use WhatsApp with those concerns in mind or switch to another messaging service.

NOTE Facebook is a company as well as a social media app/site.

Facebook.inc purchased WhatsApp in 2016 promising to keep user’s privacy protected as it was and that there will be no further changes. However, back then WhatsApp shared data with Facebook by default for the sake of better advert targeting. But the users could opt out at any time with no strings attached.

This early 2021, the tables have turned drastically as users will no longer be able to opt out as from the 8th of next month. Decline the new policy and you can no longer use WhatsApp at all.

A lot of people (I inclusive) are disappointed with this move as your data will be shared with Facebook beginning from the 8th of next month and users will not be able to do anything about it. Well, the words and phrases used in this new policy will not be clear to any normal WhatsApp user. WhatsApp can now share data like location, battery level, IMEI member, mobile network, the WhatsApp groups you are in, your status, your profile photo, and even your online status with Facebook.inc.

Like it’s not enough, Facebook has created a new feature “Transactions and Payment Data” where any payments made through the app will be stored as well. Facebook claims that it’s just for analysis sake, I doubt it but I hope so at the worst.

A lot of users do not understand the consequences of these changes but experts know that in the long run as your data gets more and more exposed, chances become exceedingly high that your data will be exploited maybe by Facebook herself or other platforms. The internet space is not as simple as normal people see it, it’s a war of data online.

You can chose any of these alternatives:

  1. SIGNAL
  2. TELEGRAM
Read present policy at https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/updates/privacy-policy/?lang=en
update happens on the 8th of February.

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