There has been a backlash against WhatsApp in recent days after it posted a supposedly revised privacy policy. Let me try to clarify what happened.
Some people think that the messaging application will now force those who use it to transfer their personal information to Facebook, which owns WhatsApp.
That is not quite right.
WhatsApp’s policies changed cosmetically and not in a way that would give Facebook more data. The bottom line is that Facebook already collects a lot of information about what people do on WhatsApp.
The confusion stemmed from Facebook’s failed communications, mistrust of the company, and violations of data protection laws in the United States.
Here’s what’s changed with WhatsApp and what’s not:
Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, and since 2016, almost everyone who uses the messaging app has been sharing (mostly unknowingly) information about their activity with Facebook.
Facebook knows the phone numbers used, how often the app is opened, the screen resolution of the device, the approximate location of the internet connection and more, as my colleague Kashmir Hill explained five years ago. .
Facebook uses this information to make sure WhatsApp works properly and to help a shoe company show you an ad on Facebook.
Facebook cannot view the content of text messages or phone calls because WhatsApp communication is encrypted. Facebook also says it doesn’t track who people communicate with on WhatsApp, and WhatsApp contacts are not shared with Facebook.
WhatsApp has many positives. It is easy to use and the communication in the application is secure. But yes, WhatsApp is Facebook, a company that many do not trust.
There are alternatives, including Signal and Telegram, both of which have recently gained a wave of new users. The digital privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation says Signal and WhatsApp are good options for most people. The Wall Street Journal also looked at the pros and cons of several popular messaging apps.
The reason WhatsApp recently notified app users about the revised privacy rules is that Facebook is trying to make WhatsApp a place to chat with an airline about a missed flight, find bags, and pay for things.
The WhatsApp policy has been changed to reflect the possibility of commercial transactions where activities are mixed between Facebook applications; For example, a bag browsing on WhatsApp may show up in your Instagram app later.
Unfortunately, WhatsApp has done a terrible job of explaining the privacy policy updates. Kash and I, a data privacy rock star, rounded up our fair share of reports to find out.
I also want to mention the deeper reasons for the misunderstandings.
First of all, this is a hangover from Facebook’s history in which he is arrogant with our personal information and reckless with the way the company or its partners use it. No wonder people assumed that Facebook was changing WhatsApp policies in a bloody way.
Second, people have come to realize that privacy policies are confusing and that we really don’t have the power to make companies collect less data.
“This is the problem with the nature of privacy laws in the United States,” said Kash. “As long as they tell you they are doing it in a policy you probably haven’t read, they can do whatever they want.”
That means digital services, including WhatsApp, offer us an unattractive option. Either we give up control over what happens to our personal information or we don’t use the service. That is.