WhatsApp mandatory data sharing with Facebook
- Thread starter LiE
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Unless you are paying for an messaging app then what are people expecting if you use their services without a fee
Problem is you don’t have a choice. I think if there were an option to pay for the app and have zero data harvesting many people would do that.
I was an early adopter of Whatsapp and did actually pay for it. It wasn't always free (I think it started free, then went paid, then free again). It was just a one-off fee of £1 or £2. I wonder if I can get that back now they have changed their terms and conditions?Unless you are paying for an messaging app then what are people expecting if you use their services without a fee
Looks like Signal is getting a boost.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/7/2...atsapp-facebook-privacy-controversy-elon-musk
Some interesting stuff in this article. Looks like in Europe it won't be enabled and it's already been happening since 2016 for a lot of users.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/7/2...atsapp-facebook-privacy-controversy-elon-musk
Some interesting stuff in this article. Looks like in Europe it won't be enabled and it's already been happening since 2016 for a lot of users.
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I'm assuming everyone angry about this also doesn't have an Amazon Prime account, doesn't subscribe to Netflix, doesn't use Windows, doesn't use a smartphone, doesn't use any form of social media, their own email provider, connects via VPN 24/7 etc...
It's just...what can you do? Data collection is just so lucrative to companies, which makes it so pervasive. How many times have we seen Google, or Facebook, Microsoft and its W10 telemetry, or whoever, release a statement saying "we're committed to data privacy blah blah blah", then a few months later "oh whoops, except for this thing that you caught us out on", or do a U-turn as in this case with WhatsApp? Hell, even AAA games these days (Cyberpunk springs to mind) are collecting 'anonymised' data to see how you are playing the game. Unless you literally comb over every line of code, you just have no idea what kind of tracking they are doing hidden deep in the background.
if you are truly opposed to it, you have to be content with using alternatives which have less features/content/smaller user base, and you're content with micromanaging multiple unconnected ecosystems (which in turn brings less convenience, less 'flow' between the different products under one umbrella company), otherwise I don't really see any getting away from it.
It's just...what can you do? Data collection is just so lucrative to companies, which makes it so pervasive. How many times have we seen Google, or Facebook, Microsoft and its W10 telemetry, or whoever, release a statement saying "we're committed to data privacy blah blah blah", then a few months later "oh whoops, except for this thing that you caught us out on", or do a U-turn as in this case with WhatsApp? Hell, even AAA games these days (Cyberpunk springs to mind) are collecting 'anonymised' data to see how you are playing the game. Unless you literally comb over every line of code, you just have no idea what kind of tracking they are doing hidden deep in the background.
if you are truly opposed to it, you have to be content with using alternatives which have less features/content/smaller user base, and you're content with micromanaging multiple unconnected ecosystems (which in turn brings less convenience, less 'flow' between the different products under one umbrella company), otherwise I don't really see any getting away from it.
It's good practice to reduce the amount of traceable/trackable data out there to a minimum, where you draw the line is down to you and likely what you perceive as convenient. This line is not necessarily going to be the same for everyone and not all companies are 100% evil (some are maybe only 50%, lol). It's personal preference.
It doesn't need to be as polarised/binary as you're making it out to be, nobody is saying that they want to drop all apps and services and go live in a cave.
Apple is very privacy focused these days, it eliminates a lot of the main data gatherers. Use iMessage, Safari, an iCloud email account and change search engine.
I get way too much benefit from a lot of the Google services, my entire home runs on Google home for example. My sons school insists on using Google classroom. My wife is fully in Google ecosystem, so we have a shared calendar.
Being happy about it, and allowing it to happen for your own laziness and convenience, are different.
Most, I thought, myself included, were unhappy about it but were resigned to the fact that it happens, because the services are convenient.
I would obviously prefer if it didn't happen, and if there were viable alternatives I would use them.
Shockingly it seems that some people couldn't care less and would probably voluntarily give up additional information... Mad.
Most, I thought, myself included, were unhappy about it but were resigned to the fact that it happens, because the services are convenient.
I would obviously prefer if it didn't happen, and if there were viable alternatives I would use them.
Shockingly it seems that some people couldn't care less and would probably voluntarily give up additional information... Mad.
I remember that but I seem to remember it was a one off charge on just one of the platforms, either iOS or Android. I suspect the latter but I couldn't be sure. I wonder if there's any way to find out when one first joined WhatsApp.
I'm the same - I don't want it and am very protective of my privacy. But WhatsApp is too useful to me and no other apps have the same large user base. So I will continue using it but look at other systems such as Signal and see whether they become more popular. I'd happily start using them instead.
But like you I am quite surprised how many people don't actually care.
It was Android.
Wasn't it originally going to be a yearly subscription as well but that was quickly dropped? I'm sure that I was a very early adopter because someone at work mentioned it and we all installed it at the same time - Nobody outside that work circle of friends had it at the time.
Thats the problem, there isn't an alternative.
People's attention and information is the new currency, it doesn't cost us anything and its something everyone has, unlike money, gold or oil.
As along as they can make money from peoples attention and information then its never going to stop.
Slight off subject, it be interesting to see when the pandemic is over. How many data breaches will be from peoples track and tracing data not being disposed correctly.....if at all!
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Yes I believe so. I only paid once.
For me personally, of course I would prefer companies not be be shady so-and-sos and collect this data behind my back, but at the end of the day after all is said and done, what is the final outcome of all this data they have collected from me? I'm admittedly showing my ignorance here, but isn't it just an advert about something I may have typed? And I use an adblocker most of the time, so I rarely see them anyway. And on the extreme end, be alerted if there were anything illegal or ties to terrorist activity and that sort of thing, which isn't a bad thing to me?
Where this would gravely concern me is if this were like the situation with Hong Kong and China, where if you say anything negative towards China in any sorts of communication, if you step foot into HK/China, you could be liable for what you said.
Where this would gravely concern me is if this were like the situation with Hong Kong and China, where if you say anything negative towards China in any sorts of communication, if you step foot into HK/China, you could be liable for what you said.
Who knows if what they claim to use it for, and what they use it for, are they same.
Historically that has not been the case in several instances.
Theres also the question of how securely the data is stored, there have been a multitude of data breaches.
Historically that has not been the case in several instances.
Theres also the question of how securely the data is stored, there have been a multitude of data breaches.
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Whatsapp will need to supply us with the data they have gathered that they are supplying to 3rd parties. Just checked and can't currently see anywhere I can view or download a copy of my own data
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Yes i bought a year's sub once.
Whatsapp has, or is very close to having, a monopoly on multi platform messaging. This was historically OK because they didnt share their data with anyone. But then of course Facebook bought Whatsapp and now Facebook owns that monopoly and now Facebook wants to use that monopoly to feed their advertising monolith. Here's the problem for me; most people signed up to WhatsApp because they wanted to send their friends and family messages. They didn't sign up knowing that their contact numbers and data would be shared with anybody. Now, you could argue that most people already have a FB account but that's besides the point - the majority of people would still prefer that data to be separate. The problem is, whatsapp holds such a dominant position that there's almost no competition and getting people to use other platforms in any significant number in order to make using another platform worthwhile is almost impossible. I mean, look how barren the market really is. What are the alternatives? FB Messenger? Out of the pan and in to the fire? This to me is FB abusing the market position of Whatsapp and IMO shouldn't have been allowed to buy them but yeah i'm no lawyer.