Whatsapp's crazy new privacy policy.

Whatsapp has changed a lot since it was acquired by Facebook back in 2014, however in 2021 Whatsapp has introduced a new set of privacy policy changes that is a concern for users worldwide in terms of privacy and data security. Whatsapp is deeply integrated into our daily lives and is the most popular messaging app on a smartphone. But since these changes brought by Facebook in Whatsapp privacy policy, users may stop using the app for good due to security and privacy concerns. 

What data does Whatsapp collect from it's users?


Whatsapp collects personal data such as mobile number, profile photo, app usage timings and several other pieces of data for its functioning, but the new 'terms of use' says that Whatsapp now collects your about info, IP address, phone model, OS, time zone, status updates, group info, payment info from Whatsapp pay etc. It shares these data with Facebook to bring more personalized ads in Facebook or Facebook owned Instagram. 

Speaking of ads, in the earlier privacy policy, Whatsapp clearly states that they will not bring ads into their app, but now it says that 'in case ads pop up, they will update their privacy policy'. This clearly shows that in the future, ads can be displayed in Whatsapp. 

Dec 2020

Dec 2020


Jan 2021

Jan 2021

Whatsapp is slowly swaying away from their privacy principles laid out when Whatsapp was independent from Facebook. Business accounts are subjected to more risks as user data may be shared with third-party business associates. And when you delete your Whatsapp account, most of your data will be deleted except the info regarding the groups you created and data other users have of you like chats will not be deleted. All these changes shows that Whatsapp is no longer a privacy focused messaging app. 

These changes will be implemented from Feb 08 2021 and users will have to agree to the new terms and conditions or their accounts will be deleted. The government may or may-not interfere to make Whatsapp change their privacy policy but choosing an alternative to Whatsapp is the wise decision to go for. There are many alternatives to Whatsapp, and  Telegram is popular one and is open-source. 

This article is heavily inspired from a Youtube channel - Beebom. Be sure to check their video for more info .



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