WhatsApp wants to share your phone number with Facebook

WhatsApp has announced a significant change in its terms of use which will also have some impact on your life. This was meant to be …  After spending $ 22 billion to buy this famous Whatsapp application, Facebook is willing to make it profitable as quickly as possible.

After Facebook bought Whatsapp in 2014, the free messaging application is now rapidly getting closer to her mother company. In Whatsapp new terms of use, various sentences may threaten your privacy. Especially the possibility to have some dialogues with companies, something which is similar to the bots Facebook uses. Also the messages about “Marketing contains”, as this rather blurred explanation appears to refer to the advertisements you receive by e -mail, but this time it could be sent through WhatsApp message.

Another major change is the fact that Facebook could have access to your phone number but also your WhatsApp account information. One may ask what Facebook wants to use it for, so here are two possible uses. The first option is about allowing a company to contact you on WhatsApp rather than doing it on Facebook Messenger, via the same bot system. Soon, your bank, for instance, might warn you that your credit card may have been misused through Whatsapp.

The second is “to enhance your experience with Facebook products and advertisements.” What does it refer to? Using the “information we have provided” – i.e. your phone number and potentially your WhatsApp profile – to “improve your experience […] and post offers and relevant advertising.” In clear, the idea is to improve targeted advertising on Facebook also using your WhatsApp information.

WhatsApp says that by connecting your phone number with the Facebook system, it can make better suggestions of friends but also suggest ads that are more suitable if you have a Facebook account. So you can see get advertising from a company with which you have worked for instead of seeing that a brand which you have no link with.
In parallel, however, be aware that your posts and messages are meant to stay encrypted and will not be shared with Facebook, according to WhatsApp.

If you are bother with this change, you still have a few days to modify this, if you are a bit curious though.

Whatsapp users in the United States have already had to accept the new conditions, but this change has just hit France on August 26th.
You should see this message: “Change of terms and conditions.” Then read this message carefully before clicking “accept”.
Click below on “learn more” about this change. Then uncheck the “share my information with Facebook.”
If you have already accepted the new terms of use, you still have 30 days to change your mind. To do so, go to WhatsApp. Then, for Android, click the three dots on the top right, then click Settings. If you own an iPhone, go to Settings, then Account. When you see the box “share my account information”, uncheck it. You can feel a bit better now!

If you don’t want to receive targeted advertisements where you are online and actually want to keep your privacy, there is another solution. To ensure maximum privacy and security when you surf from your computer, tablet and mobile, use a VPN service. With Le VPN, you keep your privacy and you ensure that your data remains private.
Our VPN service encrypts your Internet connection through a complex AES-256 algorithm encryption system. This prevents any interaction with your personal data, and that, even when using an unprotected Wi-Fi. Every information you will send will go directly into your secure virtual tunnel. With Le VPN, you can so your traffic easily by choosing one of 800 servers available in over 100 countries available. By using the best VPN, your Internet connection will stay anonymous and secure, wherever you access the web.