WhatsApp Has Been Sharing Data With Facebook For A Few Years, Here¡¯s How

WhatsApp sending a pop-up notification to all its users recently has alarmed people, notifying its users of the changes that were being made to its terms and privacy policy with a major one being sharing user data with its parent company and social-media giant Facebook.

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People who despise Facebook took this as the final straw and decided to switch from the beloved texting platform in search of alternatives, with many switching to apps like Signal, Telegram and others.

However, a recent Wired report has shed light on the fact that even though WhatsApp¡¯s current notification warned users of the sharing of data with Facebook, it has been doing that before this too.

WhatsApp Facebook data sharing

This shift in sharing of data actually dates back to August 2016 when it updated its privacy policy. During that time, the WhatsApp messaging app shared that it plans on sharing user information and metadata with Facebook and that users at the time had the option to either agree to it or opt-out from sharing certain information.

If you were one of the responsible ones who opted out then, WhatsApp won¡¯t be sharing your information now and will follow-through on the agreement.

However, if you¡¯re someone who signed on to WhatsApp after August 2016 or someone who ignored it and agreed anyway, your data has already been shared with Facebook and last week¡¯s WhatsApp privacy policy change doesn¡¯t really mean anything for you.

In case you don¡¯t remember if you allowed or ignored the notification from 2016, you can check the status by going to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Request Account Info and then tap on Download report.

WhatsApp said in a statement to Wired, ¡°Our updated Terms and Privacy Policy provide more information on how we process your data and our commitment to privacy. As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp partners with Facebook to offer experiences and integrations across Facebook¡¯s family of apps and products.¡±

This doesn¡¯t affect end to end encryption

While your data might be shared with Facebook, this doesn¡¯t include what you do on your chats or the images or videos that are shared on the platform -- all this is still protected by WhatsApp¡¯s end to end encryption.

However, that doesn¡¯t mean Facebook isn¡¯t getting anything. There is still a considerable amount of information that WhatsApp collects -- data on how you use the app, your account/phone number, IP address, OS, choice of mobile network language and others.

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So if you still want to jump the ship to a more secure platform, it won¡¯t be entirely wrong. Just don¡¯t be under the misconception that your data has been safe from Facebook all this time if you didn¡¯t stop WhatsApp in 2016.