WhatsApp is going to provide its parent company with the users’ personal data including phone numbers. The app users are being notified of the change to its privacy policy, but few of them really read it through. The users will have a month to decide whether to opt out of their data being used for ad targeting on Facebook. However, they won’t be allowed to opt out of their information being shared with the social network.
WhatsApp claimed it wouldn’t put banner ads or allow spam on its own platform, so the ad targeting will take place on Facebook’s platform, which has almost twice more users than WhatsApp.
After WhatsApp dropped its yearly service fee in early 2016, it announced the testing of tools designed to allow businesses to contact users. So, now the phone number associated with your WhatsApp account will be used on Facebook to show you ads from paying advertisers if you are in their contact database.
In the meantime, WhatsApp and Facebook accounts will remain separate, and WhatsApp will not be merged with Messenger or Instagram. However, all services under Facebook will gain access to WhatsApp users’ account information. WhatsApp also reminds that all messages sent through its up-to-date version are encrypted end-to-end, which effectively prevents anyone from reading its contents.
So far it is not clear whether WhatsApp will allow companies to send its users marketing messages, because the updated privacy policy states just that. Previously, WhatsApp insisted that it would not allow spam and was simply testing systems replicating the current communications sent to users from banks, airlines and other services using SMS to notify customers of fraud alerts or travel delays. However, WhatsApp supports blocklists, so users are able to block receiving messages from numbers or accounts entirely, and they can also block any messages sent from companies.
Industry experts note that Facebook has been trying to increase its share of user time on mobile devices by promoting its services, including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. This is how it managed to add further users to its user base, but hasn’t fully leveraged them for advertising. While Instagram does have advertising, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger currently don’t.
After WhatsApp dropped its yearly service fee in early 2016, it announced the testing of tools designed to allow businesses to contact users. So, now the phone number associated with your WhatsApp account will be used on Facebook to show you ads from paying advertisers if you are in their contact database.
In the meantime, WhatsApp and Facebook accounts will remain separate, and WhatsApp will not be merged with Messenger or Instagram. However, all services under Facebook will gain access to WhatsApp users’ account information. WhatsApp also reminds that all messages sent through its up-to-date version are encrypted end-to-end, which effectively prevents anyone from reading its contents.
So far it is not clear whether WhatsApp will allow companies to send its users marketing messages, because the updated privacy policy states just that. Previously, WhatsApp insisted that it would not allow spam and was simply testing systems replicating the current communications sent to users from banks, airlines and other services using SMS to notify customers of fraud alerts or travel delays. However, WhatsApp supports blocklists, so users are able to block receiving messages from numbers or accounts entirely, and they can also block any messages sent from companies.
Industry experts note that Facebook has been trying to increase its share of user time on mobile devices by promoting its services, including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. This is how it managed to add further users to its user base, but hasn’t fully leveraged them for advertising. While Instagram does have advertising, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger currently don’t.
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