WhatsApp to start being massive splits

WhatsApp users to receive adverts

WhatsApp says it will begin sharing more data with Facebook and will start letting some companies send messages to users.
It is the first time the company has changed its privacy policy since the firm was bought by Facebook in 2014.
WhatsApp will now share users' phone numbers with the social network, which it will use to provide "more relevant" friend suggestions and advertisements.
One analyst said some people might feel "betrayed" by the move.
Data sharing
WhatsApp said sharing users' phone numbers with Facebook would help tackle spam and abuse, as well as offer people "better friend suggestions and more relevant ads".
Using the data, Facebook will be able to match people who have exchanged phone numbers, but have not added one another as "friends" on the social network.
WhatsApp will also share information about when people last used the service, but said it would not share the contents of messages, which are encrypted.
"Your encrypted messages stay private and no-one else can read them. Not WhatsApp, not Facebook, nor anyone else," the company said in a blogpost.
The company said users would be able to opt out of sharing information with Facebook by following the steps outlined on its website.
How can I opt out of data sharing?
The box to opt out of data sharing is tucked away in the app's terms and conditions
When prompted to accept the updated terms and conditions, tap Read to expand the full text
A check box at the bottom of the new privacy policy will let you opt out of the data sharing
WhatsApp states Facebook will still receive data in some situations
"When WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook it was able to reassure users that it would remain independent," said Pamela Clark-Dickson, principal analyst at Ovum.
"Now it's giving Facebook phone numbers - some might say that's a betrayal of trust. In a small way, it has gone back on what it said it wouldn't do."
Marketing messages
The updated privacy policy also paves the way for businesses to send messages to WhatsApp users.
The company suggested messages typically sent via SMS text message - such as airline flight alerts or bank balance updates - could be sent via WhatsApp instead.
It said that in addition to appointment information and delivery notifications, it would also allow "marketing" messages.
"Messages you may receive containing marketing could include an offer for something that might interest you," the company said.
Ms Clark-Dickson said users may not mind the service "if they can opt in and the messages are useful".
"It will help them generate revenue if they charge businesses a fee to send messages," she told the BBC.
"But WhatsApp needs to be careful, a lot of people use it because they don't get advertising there."
The company said it would test such messaging features in the coming months, but promised to avoid a "spammy experience" where people are inundated with ads, and said it would not display so-called banner ads in its app.
Other messaging apps such as China's WeChat have already enabled business-to-consumer communication to great success, but Ms Clark-Dickson suggested WhatsApp would take a different approach.
"WeChat is a content-driven platform," she told the BBC.
"It opened up its platform to third parties, letting people make payments, book taxis. That seems to be the direction Facebook is taking Messenger.
"WhatsApp has the potential to be a great communication facility, if it concentrates on a solid user experience as its differential."

Errkal wrote:How dare a company provide a service for free and expect to be able to use the data to make money.

gooseberry fool happens life goes any other company would do the same. Unless you plan on making your own chat service for people to use it will be the same for anyone else.

Errkal wrote:How dare a company provide a service for free and expect to be able to use the data to make money.

gooseberry fool happens life goes any other company would do the same. Unless you plan on making your own chat service for people to use it will be the same for anyone else.

Errkal wrote:They charges a silly fee ages ago after the first year it was like 79p or something, the was abolished a while back.

However, Koum promised that WhatsApp would not follow Facebook and Instagram in introducing adverts, saying that it would fund itself with business accounts.

Pancake wrote:I don't care about the data sharing. At this point my data is everywhere anyway, don't really see the point in worrying about it.

Ads can strawberry float off though.

Tragic Magic wrote:

Pancake wrote:I don't care about the data sharing. At this point my data is everywhere anyway, don't really see the point in worrying about it.

Ads can strawberry float off though.

This is the sad reality. The government and big corporations know our every move already anyway.

Knoyleo wrote:I'm fully aware of the level of data tracking that goes on, especially with Facebook and Google, etc. and sadly accept it as part of online life. At least you can control most of the data you give them if you root around the settings long enough. What I do object to, is a messaging app essentially selling my contact number to advertisers to allow them to message me directly. Not even Facebook messenger does that to me.

Whatsapp has basically replaced text messages for me, as it has for many people. Opening that up to advertisers is a massively intrusive thing to do. Imagine signing up to an email service that sends you spam as part of the package? Moving over to a different app is going to be difficult, because nothing else has the same universal reach whatsapp does.