WhatsApp is handing
over your phone number to Facebook.
In a blog post
yesterday (Aug. 25), the world’s most popular messaging service announced that
it will soon share users’ phone numbers with parent company Facebook. Messages,
photos, and WhatsApp account information from WhatsApp’s 1 billion users will
not be shared.
Third-party apps are
still not allowed on WhatsApp, and the company promises that advertisers will
not have direct access to the mobile number. Data within the app remains
end-to-end encrypted. However, Facebook may use the information to serve more
targeted ads on its own platform. “For example, you might see an ad from a
company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard
of,” the blog post stated.
But for those who’d
rather not share their information, there’s a way to keep Facebook from getting
your number:
When you open the
latest version of the app, don’t blindly click “agree” to the new terms and
conditions. Instead, tap “Read more.”
You’ll see a box
saying “Share Whatsapp account information with Facebook…” Simply uncheck it,
and you’re done.
Notice how it says
it won’t share your phone number? Although Whatsapp seems to contradicts
itself, what it likely means is that it won’t share your current phone number. This only applies to
people who’ve changed handsets or countries, and changed phone numbers in the
process, but continued using their original Whatsapp account. Facebook gets
access to the phone number you originally signed up with.
For those who’ve
already whizzed through Whatsapp’s new policy, you can go back and undo the
data-sharing permissions: In the settings, click on the “Accounts” tab, and
select “Share my account info.” You can toggle the option on and off for up to
30 days after accepting the new changes.
But you can’t
safeguard all your data. No matter what settings you select, Facebook and its
subsidiaries will still use your information to improve infrastructure and
delivery systems, count unique users and fight spam. Facebook-owned apps keep
tabs on copyright infringement and spam across platforms—if a spammer is
flagged on Instagram, for instance, their WhatsApp account can also be
suspended.
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