What to do when WhatsApp 'shares' your number with Facebook
WhatsApp on Thursday announced it would be sharing information such as users’ phone numbers with Facebook. This, the messaging app claimed, was "to coordinate more and improve experiences across our services and those of Facebook and the Facebook family".
What this essentially means is that WhatsApp would share with Facebook your phone number, some details about your handset and the last time you were “seen”, among others. What it would mean, according to information available on WhatsApp’s website, is one would get WhatsApp alerts of stuff such as bank transactions, flights, a courier being dispatched, or the shoes you ordered online — alerts we generally receive via text messages.
But there’s a third category as well: Yes, marketing messages, or what we commonly refer to as spam. Since, WhatsApp has for the first time allowed businesses to open accounts, thus expect to be hit with a barrage of messages from X,Y or Z company. While WhatsApp has said there won’t be third-party banner ads, it would be small solace if your data (that is interests, friends, their interests etc) are mined to hit you with targeted ads, a la Facebook.Read more
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