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- WhatsApp is changing its terms of service to force users to share personal data, including phone numbers and location, with its parent company Facebook.
- Some critics, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have suggested that users switch to the encrypted messaging apps Signal and Telegram.
- A WhatsApp spokesperson told Ars Technica that the change was to allow companies to store WhatsApp chats using Facebook’s infrastructure.
- The messaging app sells itself as a privacy-focused service.
- Visit the Business Insider SA home page for more stories.
WhatsApp, the encrypted messaging app that sells itself as a privacy-focused service, will begin to force users to share personal data with Facebook, its parent company.
In an announcement sent to users on Wednesday, WhatsApp said users will have to agree to allow Facebook and its subsidiaries to collect data from WhatsApp, including users ‘phone numbers, contacts’ phone numbers, location and more.
If users do not agree before February 8, they will lose access, WhatsApp has confirmed, although its documentation
The move prompted calls for users to delete their WhatsApp accounts and switch to smaller encrypted messaging apps like Signal and Telegram.
“Signal and Telegram are now better alternatives if you are concerned about your privacy,” tweeted TechCrunch editor Mike Butcher, who shared a comparison of the data WhatsApp collects versus Signal and Telegram.
Signal and Telegram are now better alternatives if you are concerned about your privacy. This is what Facebook wants from you on WhatsApp and on its own site: pic.twitter.com/uBN5g9ufgx
– Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) January 7, 2021
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was one of those who recommended users to switch services, simply tweeting: “use Signal”.
Nine hours earlier, Musk apparently also criticized Facebook for being responsible for the rioters who attacked the United States Capitol on Wednesday, via a sardonic meme.
Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 and in 2016 it gave users the unique opportunity to opt out of sharing the app data with Facebook. WhatsApp was not immediately available to comment on why it had decided to override this.
A WhatsApp spokeswoman told Ars Technica that the change was to allow companies to store WhatsApp chats using Facebook’s broader infrastructure.
WhatsApp founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum left the company in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Acton has spoken publicly about his departure, which followed the decision to introduce ads on WhatsApp, and has asked people to “remove Facebook.”
Koum’s departure was also surrounded by reports that he had clashed with management over the company’s focus on user privacy on WhatsApp.
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