Messenger
Eddy new Whatsapp guidelines: What is really behind it
New Whatsapp directives are currently creating a vortex
© Aytac Unal/ / Picture Alliance
Accesses Facebook on a large scale now use data from Whatsapp? That is the impression one gets currently in social networks. However, this is not quite correct, as a glance at the small shows printed.
Whatsapp, with more than two billion active users and the most popular Messenger in the Western world. Anyone who has started in the past few days, the Chat App, was greeted with a conspicuous pop-up. It says: “Whatsapp has updated its terms of use and privacy policy”, which in this country from the 8. February apply to. It is not true, you should be able to as of the reporting date, the App is not in use.
In the new rules is especially adapted, as parent company, Facebook will process the data from the Messenger App like Whatsapp as a communication tool with clients, is allowed to use. Accordingly, great was the excitement in social networks. It is often said that Facebook should now have access to the German Whatsapp data and even to advertisers more rich.
Privacy advocates are sounding the Alarm, speak, sometimes, even now, unlimited data traffic between Whatsapp and Facebook. It gives the impression that their own Chats could soon be used for the optimization of ads from Facebook used. But not quite as easy as it looks at first glance, is not the case – especially in Germany.
This Whatsapp data uses Facebook
If you like to read the new Whatsapp terms and conditions of use, you will find it here. And here you will find the updated privacy policy. It says under the item “So Whatsapp works together with other Facebook company”: “Whatsapp is also working together with the other Facebook-companies and shares information with them, so that they can help us to operate our services, to provide, to improve, to understand, to adapt, to support and to market.” According to further embodiments, a crucial sentence follows, however: “None of the information is Whatsapp on this basis, may be used for the own purposes of the Facebook company.”
That means in plain text: Technical data of Whatsapp be transferred to Facebook. The phone number that was specified when registering for Whatsapp, among others, some of the device information (device ID, OS version, App Version, platform information, country code, mobile network code), and some of the usage information (when Whatsapp was last used when the Account was registered, as well as the type and frequency of use of Features). These data are, however, not to Optimize the ads used.
EU-users*are indoor outdoor
The company has not, in the meantime, in a Statement clarified that the new regulations users*apply for the EU-inside. “In the EU there is a separate Privacy Policy Update, according to which the data of Whatsapp users will continue to be shared with Facebook.” Further, it States: “There are no Changes to the practices of the disclosure of data of Whatsapp in the European Region (including the UK), arising from the updated terms of use and privacy policy.” is reinforced by the Tweets of Whatsapp employee Niamh Sweeney. She writes: “Currently, Facebook uses your Whatsapp-Account-to improve information about your product experiences on Facebook or interesting Facebook-show Ads.“ It will continue to change nothing. In the US, however, is different.
The new rules do not apply to German users, and does not mean, however, that Whatsapp from a privacy perspective is recommended. Other messengers, such as Signal processing about significantly less personalized data.
You can also read:
Telegram is the most popular Whatsapp replacement – and soon paid features
– Whatsapp: How the Nazis the Messenger purpose alienate
Messenger: that’s Why Signal is better than Whatsapp
– A network expert reveals how Whatsapp monitors to us, in spite of encrypted Chats
