It’s all part of a plan to allow businesses to send messages to potential customers.
WhatsApp’s billion-plus users will start receiving notifications that their data – including their phone numbers – will be handed over to Facebook from Thursday 25 August.
Users will not be able to opt out of their data being shared with Facebook, although The Guardian reports that users of WhatsApp will be able to opt out of their information being used for ad targeting on the Facebook platform for the next 30 days.
“We want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam,” said a WhatsApp spokesperson.
“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.”
The report in The Guardian adds…
‘The phone number associated with a user’s WhatsApp account will be used on Facebook to show them ads. This will form part of the targeting the company allows for paying advertisers, who can upload contact databases. Those who use Facebook and are in the contact database uploaded by the advertiser will then be shown the targeted ads.’
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, insists it will not tell advertisers which users interacted with their ads.
While WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger and Instagram will all remain separate, all of Facebook’s services will gain users’ phone numbers via WhatsApp and this can be used to suggest that contacts be added as friends.
WhatsApp added: “We won’t post or share your WhatsApp number with others, including on Facebook, and we still won’t sell, share, or give your phone number to advertisers.”
They will only give your phone numbers to the all-seeing, all-knowing company that displays those ads.
WhatsApp insists that it will not allow companies to send users spam, and that communications will be similar to those sent out by banks, airlines and other trusted sources.
Users should also maintain the ability to block any messages that are sent to them, whether personal or from companies.
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