WhatsApp has announced privacy terms that take effect on 8 February. According to the statement on the company's website, WhatsApp will from now on freely exchange data with Facebook. What's more, people who don't allow their data to be shared won't be able to use WhatsApp. Until 8 February, users will accept the terms through a notification that appears on their phone.
So what does this mean, and does it pose any danger to us? Since many people asked me these questions, I decided to write this article.
As you know, in 2014 Facebook bought WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars. Back then, many people who didn't like Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook objected. Users who knew Facebook's dirty past on privacy feared that WhatsApp would end up the same way. As their fears come true, we see they were right.
WhatsApp has decided to share user data with Facebook “legally”
After the purchase, whether WhatsApp shared user data with Facebook became a widely debated topic. Many of us, after discussing something in WhatsApp, saw ads on that topic on Facebook and its other services. So although data sharing couldn't be proven, it was actually obvious. As of 2021, we can assume Facebook thought it might run into problems over this. That's why it has now decided to do the data sharing “legally”. Facebook doesn't leave this decision to the user's choice and forces users to accept the new terms.
Facebook's other services will be able to use this data too
The other point under discussion that WhatsApp has accepted is that, along with Facebook, its other services (Instagram and so on) will also be able to use this data. So what's in the data that will be shared? Which of our private details will Facebook use?
What user data can Facebook collect?
Account information; messages; contacts; status information; transactions and payment information; customer support and other communications; usage and logging information; device and connection information; location information; cookies; information others provide about you (third party); user reports (third party); businesses on WhatsApp (third party); third-party service providers; third-party services.
How is the collected data used?
Related services; safety and integrity; communications about the Facebook companies; official communications.
For more detailed information, see the official WhatsApp page.
From what we've said, we can conclude that Facebook will be freer in collecting data from now on. As end users, we may not feel the effect on us. But many people who care about privacy are already leaving WhatsApp and moving to alternative messaging apps.
