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WhatsApp: Let us share your data with Facebook or else:
In a surprise move, WhatsApp recently gave many of its users a difficult choice: they could either accept a revised privacy policy that explicit[sic] allowed the service to share information with parent company Facebook by February 8th, or decline and risk not being able to use the service at all.
[...] Upon further inspection, the updated policy makes clear that data collected by WhatsApp — including user phone numbers, "transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services , mobile device information, your IP address" and more are subject to be shared with other properties owned and controlled by Facebook.
"As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information (see here) with, the other Facebook Companies," the updated privacy policy reads. "We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings, including the Facebook Company Products."
[...] The shift appears to be a dramatic about-face for WhatsApp, a company that contends "respect for your privacy" is coded into its DNA and made end-to-end encryption standard across all chats as of 2016.
Additionally, Signal sees surge in new signups after boost from Elon Musk and WhatsApp controversy:
Encrypted messaging app Signal says it's seeing a swell of new users signing up for the platform, so much so that the company is seeing delays in phone number verifications of new accounts across multiple cell providers.
As for what or who is responsible for so many new users interested in trying the platform, which is operated by the nonprofit Signal Foundation, there are two likely culprits: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Signal competitor WhatsApp.
[...] WhatsApp has outlined a new privacy policy going into effect next month that no longer includes language indicating it will allow users to opt out of data sharing with parent company Facebook. Instead, the new policy expressly outlines how WhatsApp will share data (stuff like your phone number, profile name, and address book info) with Facebook.
Two anonymous submitters also pointed us to this story.
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2 Original Submission #3
(Score: 2) by fakefuck39 on Saturday January 09 2021, @08:09PM (4 children)
because WhatsApp is specifically used by people, mostly in eastern europe, who want to avoid sms and mms charges, and people who communicate internationally. so the answer to your question of why not sms.
My friends are across like 15 countries. You want us to pay 50c per text or a dollar a minute to talk to each other?
given that, yeah - all my friends just talk to me on skype, like they did 15 years ago. the new skype design is much worse, it sucks the battery out of a smartphone, but it's a solid standard - like email. so either use that, or have 50 apps like wechat, viber, whatsapp, signal, all installed on your phone so you can talk to everyone. but skype - everyone already has that.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 09 2021, @08:46PM (1 child)
Yeah I did hear you like to imagine your left hand in various exotic locales.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 10 2021, @02:53AM
Pro tip: Buy an atlas and you don't even need to use your imagination anymore.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 10 2021, @12:58AM (1 child)
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday January 10 2021, @03:35AM
You want his family and friends to have to pay to receive his texts? Maybe he's raking it in, but that doesn't mean they are.
Besides, SMS is a stupid standard and should be banned. It is unreliable *by design*. It's too bad the telcos couldn't ever come up with something better to replace it, but it's utter trash from a technical standpoint, which is why these chat apps were all made.