A question that does not concern users of the WhatsApp messaging application: What data does WhatsApp share with Facebook?
The change that WhatsApp made at the beginning of this year regarding its privacy policy led to a mass exodus of users to other messaging apps like Telegram and Signal.
The uproar came after millions of users misunderstood the new privacy terms, which they thought meant more data was being shared with parent company Facebook.
WhatsApp has confirmed that it does not share the content of your conversations with Facebook. This will not change after the Terms of Service are updated. This is because these conversations remain protected by end-to-end encryption. It cannot be read by anyone even the app itself.
But the data the app can share includes your phone number and your account name. In addition, more detailed information known as metadata may be collected and shared with the Facebook Companies.
Metadata is a valuable tool for analyzing interpersonal communications. Where the company does not need the content of the message to track people. This is because the activity patterns they contain tell the company everything about the user.
WhatsApp says the data shared with Facebook is for specific purposes such as preventing spam. Not to target users with ads.
It also states that it does not share contacts with Facebook. And there are no plans to do so. However, some app data sharing processes remain very opaque.
For example, the Privacy Policy describes how personal data shared with Facebook may include other information specified in the Privacy Policy or obtained with your consent.
