By Oisin Sweeney • Published: 07 Jan 2021 • 19:31
The new update will force WhatsApp users to share their phone number and IP Address with Facebook among other details - Image Source: Twitter
WHATSAPP will force its users to share their private data, including phone numbers, with its parent company Facebook next month. Users of the wildly popular messaging platform will be forced to agree to the app’s new privacy policy by February 8th or will lose access to their chat and contacts. By agreeing to the policy, their phone numbers and other personal data will be shared with Facebook who owns the company. The update will come in the form of an in-app notification, which must be agreed to prior to the closing date. WhatsApp says the new policy is designed to “offer integrations across the Facebook Company Products”, which includes Instagram and Messenger. Other than phone numbers, the app will now track users’ signal strength, language, time zone, IP address, and phone battery level. Privacy International tweeted the move is likely to push users onto other platforms, with many users saying that they planned to move to rival messaging apps such as Telegram. Ever since the app was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion, it has faced controversy for the way it handles users’ data. The platform’s co-founder Jan Koum resigned from his role as WhatsApp chief executive in 2018 due to Facebook’s decision to monetise personal data in the app.
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Oisin is an Irish writer based in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalucia. After starting his working life as a bookseller, he moved into journalism and cut his teeth as a reporter at one of Ireland's biggest news websites. Since joining Euro Weekly News in November, he has enjoyed covering the latest stories from Seville, Spain and further afield - with special interests in crime, cybersecurity, and European politics. Anyone who can pronounce his name first try gets a free cerveza...
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