WhatsApp will share data with Facebook

Chat app WhatsApp will share users’ account information with Facebook by default, so that the social network will offer more relevant advertisements. It is an option that users can turn off in the first month.

Disabling data sharing is done via the Account submenu under ‘Settings’, WhatsApp says in the new terms. How to do this is described on a special page in the faq about the changes. If users want to, Facebook won’t use the info to make ads more relevant, but WhatsApp and Facebook will still share info. WhatsApp cannot share the messages that users send, because they are not transparent thanks to the end-to-end encryption. So all they can share is metadata about the use of the app and databases with phone numbers, although in many cases Facebook will already have these itself.

WhatsApp says Facebook can use that data to fight spam and make ads more relevant, the chat app claims. In addition, with the adjustment, WhatsApp has created the opportunity for companies to maintain contact with customers, for example to keep informed of delivery times or to send offers. The chat app emphasizes that it does not want to burden users with a “spam-like experience”.

Founder Jan Koum said earlier this year that that option was on the way. It is a way for WhatsApp to make money. WhatsApp offered subscriptions for years, but canceled them at the beginning of this year and made the application permanently free.