WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messenger that claims to have privacy coded into its DNA, is giving its 2 billion plus users an ultimatum: agree to share their personal data with the social network or delete their accounts.
The requirement is being delivered through an in-app alert directing users to agree to sweeping changes in the WhatsApp terms of service. Those who don’t accept the revamped privacy policy by February 8 will no longer be able to use the app.
In 2016, WhatsApp gave users a one-time ability to opt out of having account data turned over to Facebook. Now, an updated privacy policy is changing that. Come next month, users will no longer have that choice. Some of the data that WhatsApp collects includes:
User phone numbers
Other people’s phone numbers stored in address books
Profile names
Profile pictures and
Status message including when a user was last online
Diagnostic data collected from app logs
Under the new terms, Facebook reserves the right to share collected data with its family of companies.
“As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies,” the new privacy policy states. “We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings.”
The move comes a month after Apple started requiring iOS app makers, including WhatsApp, to detail the information they collect from users. WhatsApp, according to the App Store, reserves the right to collect:
What are you hiding
Social media is basicaly anti-social. It has been years since I stopped using facebbook because of increasing privacy concerns which began with annoying “friend suggestions.” Why should any one want to “share contacts” or address books? I understand that media requires advertising revenue but there is no way to detrmine who is a “3rd party” or “partner.” As a frum person I see too much “Mazl Tov” B”DE” “Refuah S heleilmah” which should be delivered either personally, by phone, written correspondence or email. Whats App should be only for casual use. Important information, announcements, reminders and invitations can be emailed where… Read more »
I never went into it to begin with. We use what we need….I have email and that’s more then enough, the rest I go on natural walks which are the best!
And real home address, since you “have nothing to hide”.
It’s not about what you have to hide. “Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide, is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” E.S.
It seems that one could change to Signal.org/install. People have researched.
Switch to Signal! Everyones on it.
Switch to telegram.org
Big tech at it again
If you actually look into it, the new ToS just describe something that has been going on ANYWAY unless you opted out in 2016.
Also, if you have Facebook and/or Instagram and you think that getting rid of WhatsApp will prevent Facebook from having your information, I have some news for you.
This isn’t news, it’s all hype.
What about ppl who got WhatsApp after 2016?
People have much more information on WhatsApp than on Instagram or Facebook
👍🏻
You can change to telegram as well
Telegram is not a safe alternative to WhatsApp. It literally has a search engine built in. Although signal does not have yet all the features WhatsApp has, it is the most secure and family friendly, plus it has its own unique features…
Do you really think they didn’t know everything about you?
https://www.change.org/p/whatsapp-whatsapp-shouldn-t-steal-our-information?recruiter=1173503556&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=sms&recruited_by_id=a7540160-5358-11eb-ac37-ed89d624eaad
…not that the app will drop you if you don’t consent, but that the user not deleting the app will constitute consent.
Please find out and clarify for the public. We need to know what happens to us regarding WhatsApp if we do nothing.
We also need to know whether to manually delete anything we don’t want shared w/Facebook on Feb. 8 or is deleting the app before then enough to protect our privacy on past WhatsApp messages and media we currently retain on our phones.
Deleting the app may not delete your account. It’s account you want to delete
Giving a 1 star by millions of people will help
Welcome 2021 !!!!!!
New year new surprises !!!
As far as I can tell, the new terms of service are not scary, but they might make the whatsapp experience annoying. They’re not scary because the content of whatsapp messages will still be encrypted, which means that nobody gets to see them except the sender and the recipient. But they might be annoying, because it means that ads will be inserted into the whatsapp experience. The fact that they are “targeted” ads makes no difference to me, and I don’t know why anyone would have a particular problem with targeted (as opposed to generic) ads.
Important notes:
1. Unless you changed WhatsApp setting (and if you’re getting upset now, you didn’t) you’ve been sharing data with Facebook since 2016.
2. You’ll need to uninstall WhatsApp, Facebook app and Instagram from your phone and remove the cookies of those sites from your computer.
Short of that, you’re just letting out hot air.