The popular messaging service WhatsApp has announced it will be sharing user date, including phone numbers with their parent company Facebook.
Ostensibly this is to improve the WhatsApp user experience by linking you with friends quicker. However it is also intended to mean a more streamlined ad experience and for companies to be able to find your details and contact you via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp are quick to reassure users that their data will only be shared with the parent company and that chats protected by end-to-end encryption will remain private and can only be seen by the individuals concerned and not Facebook, WhatsApp and their users.
Despite the fact it appears this is a sweeping change, there will be two ways to opt out of this data sharing when the changes are introduced. The first will be when the app updates, a new User Agreement will appear. Instead of checking the “Agree” box, check “Read More” and uncheck the box that says “Share My WhatsApp Account Information With Facebook”.
The other option will be to go into Settings on WhatsApp and enter the Accounts tab. From there you will be able to uncheck the “Share My WhatsApp Account Information With Facebook” box.