Users Protest WhatsApp’s Move To Share Phone Numbers With Facebook

Hi-Tech Silvia Meyer
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Social Media mogul’s WhatsApp and Facebook are presently under fire after WhatsApp made an announcement about an update to its privacy policy. The update gives WhatsApp permission to share the phone numbers and other forms of metadata of its user’s with Facebook, its parent company.

The recent update has sparked up outrage among all privacy conscious users. The messaging service originally promised not to compromise this private information when it sold to Facebook two years ago.

A great number of users who are not interested in linking their Facebook with their WhatsApp went as far as uninstalling their WhatsApp. They would rather go for more secure apps like Signal and Telegram.

When Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $22 billion in the year 2014, its original owner and founder Jan Koum promised all users that their data would remain protected. “We do not know your birth date,” “We do not know your house address. No personal data has ever been stored by WhatsApp. This will remain so as we have no plans to change this policy.”

The Federal Trade Commission warned WhatsApp not to break its promise as this could amount to an outright violation of its guidelines.

The office of the UK Information Commissioner also had this to say; “WhatsApp has made so many promises about the limited nature of user’s data that it collects, shares and stores with any third party. The promises exceed the protections promised to Facebook users,” according to Jessica Rich, one of the directors at the FTC, in a letter written to Facebook and WhatsApp. “We want to be sure that, regardless of this acquisition, WhatsApp must keep to its Promises concerning user’s privacy.”

In the app there now exists a checkbox beside “Share my account info”. This refers to the new information sharing from WhatsApp and Facebook. Uncheck the box if you do not wish to share your information.