Privacy Groups Say Facebook Must Make WhatsApp Data Sharing Opt-In, Ask FTC To Intervene
 |
    12 years
|
Privacy Groups Say Facebook Must Make WhatsApp Data Sharing Opt-In, Ask FTC To Intervene
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/epic-cdd-whatsapp-ftc-compl...
by Lucian Armasu August 30, 2016 at 2:10 PM - Source: EPIC
6 Comments
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), two of the biggest digital privacy organizations in the U.S., filed a complaint with the FTC against WhatsApp’s new policy to share user data with Facebook.
Facebook’s New Privacy Policy
WhatsApp's new privacy policy recognizes that user data is protected by end-to-end encryption by default, but it also said contacts and other information will be shared with Facebook for more effective ad targeting.
If you were careful, you could opt-out of allowing Facebook to use the data for ads, but Facebook would still get it either way. To opt-out, you have to click at the bottom and go to a separate screen, where you can uncheck the box before hitting the “Agree” button.
There’s also another option that allows users to opt-out, but it’s going to be available to users only for the first 30 days. That may not be enough time for everyone to discover that their data is now shared with Facebook by default, as not everyone will get the chance to read the new privacy policy, or even news stories about it.
WhatsApp’s Failed Privacy Promises
Before it was acquired by Facebook, WhatsApp promised its users that it would “never” sell their information.
“So first of all, let’s set the record straight. We have not, we do not and we will not ever sell your personal information to anyone. Period. End of story. Hopefully this clears things up,” said Jan Koum, WhatsApp’s founder in a 2009 blog post.
In 2012, Koul followed with:
“At WhatsApp, our engineers spend all their time fixing bugs, adding new features and ironing out all the little intricacies in our task of bringing rich, affordable, reliable messaging to every phone in the world. That’s our product and that’s our passion. Your data isn’t even in the picture. We are simply not interested in any of it,” said Koum.
When WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014, Jan Koum said that "nothing" will change for users. The message was reiterated by Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, a few days later:
“We are absolutely not going to change plans around WhatsApp and the way it uses user data. WhatsApp is going to operate completely autonomously,” said Zuckerberg in 2014.
The two may still technically be right if the WhatsApp chat client itself never gets any ads, but Facebook would still get to use the data to make its ads more effective on its other services. However, WhatsApp did mention that “users may receive messages containing marketing information” in its recent privacy policy change announcement.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/epic-cdd-whatsapp-ftc-compl...
Its nice they are supposed
Its nice they are supposed to do things but nothing is secure on the net