Users given 30 days to decide whether they want to give Mark Zuckerberg even MORE private information
If you met Mark Zuckerberg in a nightclub and you didn’t know he was a billionaire, would you give him your phone number?
Regardless of your answer, it turns out you might not have a choice in the matter.
WhatsApp has just announced the first update to its privacy settings in four years and revealed that it’s handing over all its users’ phone numbers to Facebook.
You’ll have 30 days to decide if you’re alright with this plan or whether it’s time to ditch WhatsApp for good.
Facebook is famous for collecting a huge amount of information about its user and knows 98 very personal things about people who use the social network.
A WhatsApp spokesman said: “While WhatsApp will continue to operate as a separate service from Facebook, we plan to begin sharing some information that will allow us to coordinate more in the months ahead and improve experiences across services.
“For example, once people accept the updated terms and privacy policy, we will share some of their account info with Facebook, such as the phone numbers people use to sign up for WhatsApp, along with how often people are using our service.”
WhatsApp said that handing over your digits to Zuck and co. would help fight spam and even allow businesses to communicate with you directly.
In a blog post, a spokeswoman for the messaging app said: “Whether it’s hearing from your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction, or getting notified by an airline about a delayed flight, many of us get this information elsewhere, including in text messages and phone calls.
“We want to test these features in the next several months, but need to update our terms and privacy policy to do so.”
Of course, the update will also allow Facebook to clobber you with adverts and line its own pockets in the process.
WhatsApp added: “Let’s say that you sign up for your local flower shop’s mailing list using the same mobile phone number that you use for your WhatsApp account, and the flower shop decides to advertise on Facebook, you may see their ads on Facebook.”
It continued: “By coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp.
“And by connecting your phone number with Facebook’s systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them.
“For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard of.”
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