In a post on his blog, the email application, in the lap of Facebook since 2014, said to have made two major changes.
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If you don’t want your phone number to be shared then you need this hack.
Much of the success of WhatsApp came from its hard-nosed privacy policies, which appealed to users who felt like they had to divulge excess information to use apps like Facebook.
“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”, the blog post said.
Instant Messaging app WhatsApp announced just yesterday it would start sharing data with Facebook as part of an update to its privacy policy – the first time the service has changed this in four years. However, Facebook has allegedly pledged that it would not interfere with the promise given by the founders of WhatsApp.
Anyone who is concerned about their privacy is reminded that they can use WhatsApp’s instructions to prevent data sharing.
Under the changes, WhatsApp could in future be used by banks to tell customers about possible fraud or airlines to notify users about flight delays, the service said. For example, Facebook could use phone numbers to match users that have communicated on WhatsApp but not connected on Facebook. Our belief in the value of private communications is unshakeable, and we remain committed to giving you the fastest, simplest, and most reliable experience on WhatsApp.
Users should also maintain the ability to block any messages that are sent to them, whether personal or from companies.
Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said in a statement: “We’ve been informed of the changes”.
WhatsApp has over one billion users globally, with a significant chunk coming from India. At the bottom you will see an already marked box that reads “share my WhatsApp account information with Facebook”, uncheck the box.
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However, WhatsApp claim the new change can actually help users. “We are looking into this”, she added.
