On Thursday, messaging service WhatsApp announced plans to share users’ account information with its parent company, Facebook. If you’re concerned about keeping your personal information, phone numbers and conversations private, read on for instructions about how to limit the information Facebook can access.
In an announcement on the company’s official blog, WhatsApp announced changes to its privacy policy for the first time in several years.
Reuters notes that when Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, founder Jan Koum vowed to protect data of its users, saying the deal would not affect WhatsApp’s privacy policy. Now, the messaging app is more willing to, in their words, “share your account information with Facebook to improve your Facebook ads and products experiences.”
If you’d rather not take part in this data sharing, there are two methods to avoid sharing your personal data and phone numbers with Facebook. You can do the second method up to 30 days after agreeing to WhatsApp’s updated Terms of Service (if you couldn’t be bothered to read it).
How Not To Share WhatsApp Account Information With Facebook
Option 1:
- Before you tap ‘Agree’ to accept WhatsApp’s updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, tap ‘Read.’
- You will see a control at the bottom of the screen. If you do not want your account information shared with Facebook, uncheck the box or toggle the control.
Option 2:
After agreeing to WhatsApp’s updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, you will have an additional 30 days to opt out of sharing account information with Facebook for marketing purposes.
- In the WhatsApp app on your mobile device, go to Settings > Account > Share My Account Info.
- If you do not want your account information shared with Facebook, uncheck the box or toggle the control.
You Cannot Completely Prevent Facebook From Accessing Personal Data Via WhatsApp
WhatsApp users take note: even if you make these changes and opt out of data sharing, Facebook will still have access to some of your data, even if you don’t have an account on the social networking site. An FAQ from the WhatsApp official page states “The Facebook family of companies will still receive and use this information for other purposes such as improving infrastructure and delivery systems, understanding how our services or theirs are used, securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or infringement activities.”
What do you think of these changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy? Will they affect how you use the app, or make you consider an alternative? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
