WhatsApp Violated Major Primary evidence Privacy

WhatsApp founders: 'Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA' — no Facebook data sharing

Made 2014-02-19 00:00:00+00 · Audience · General public

// The promise

“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA … Above all else, I want to make sure you understand how deeply I value the principle of private communication. … We have not, we do not and we will not ever sell your personal information to anyone.”

WhatsApp blog, 19 February 2014 (archived) ↗

When Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton publicly pledged that user data would never be shared with Facebook. Two years later WhatsApp updated its terms of service to share user phone numbers and metadata with Facebook for ad-targeting and 'business analytics'.

// What actually happened (2 sourced violations)

#1 2016-08-25 00:00:00+00 918 days later primary evidence

WhatsApp updates its terms of service to share user phone numbers and account information with Facebook for advertising.

The Guardian, 25 August 2016 ↗
#2 2021-09-02 00:00:00+00 2,752 days later primary evidence

EU regulators fine WhatsApp €225 million for failing to disclose how it shares user data with other Facebook companies.

Irish Data Protection Commission, 2 September 2021 ↗

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