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If you were asked what the most popular messaging app in the world is, what would you say? Messenger? Instagram? Discord? All wrong. In fact, if you answered anything other than WhatsApp you would be wrong. WhatsApp rose quickly to become the biggest kid on the messaging block thanks to its compatibility with Android (by far the most popular smartphone platform in the world) and the fact it allows users to make free calls and texts as long as there is a wifi connection. What really sets this app apart from the rest though is that it didn\u2019t gather or sell any of your data. Its developers prided themselves on the fact they didn\u2019t know and didn\u2019t want to know anything about their users.

Sadly, that started to change in 2014 when Facebook bought the company. Initially, the house that Zuck built promised that it would make no changes to the terms of service for WhatsApp. However, recently, they did change them, making it mandatory for users to share their WhatsApp data with Facebook. Users are faced with two choices, accept the new terms or lose their account. At least they are upfront about the choice. So there\u2019s that.\xa0

One wonders though, why are they making users make this decision now? What is driving them to alter one of their primary features? To put it another way, why do they want our data now? Looking at the updated agreement, there is a hint. One of the things WhatsApp says they will be using that data for is to provide personalized ads within the app, no doubt cross-referencing data from Facebook and Instagram. To be fair, they likely realized they needed to actually make some money with WhatsApp and putting a couple of ads on the screen is an easy way to do that. However, if they go the route of Skype and other apps and start recording and transcribing calls without consent, that will be sure to cause a backlash. Not that they are doing that right now. Hopefully, they stay away from that kind of privacy violation as it would completely destroy the original vision of WhatsApp\u2019s creators.\xa0

So why would we speculate as to their intentions? Because the new terms of service are unfortunately pretty opaque. Amongst the data they\u2019ll be collecting now is \u201chow we interact with others\u201d. What does that mean? Anytime there is ambiguity like that, it invites suspicion. Wouldn\u2019t it be better if they just came right out and said everything they plan on doing with your data? Even if people weren\u2019t terribly likely to approve. At least if Facebook told you they were planning on selling your information to the NSA at least you could respect their honesty and have a real choice in the matter. Instead, you have a bunch of vague terminologies that would frustrate a corporate lawyer.\xa0

Let\u2019s take another example. They\u2019ll also be collecting users\u2019 IP addresses, location data, and more besides. But don\u2019t worry! \u201cOther data\u201d will be collected only with consent. One wonders what\u2019s meant by \u201cother data\u201d or even what could be meant given how much data they already tell you that they\u2019ll be collecting. The fact they then emphasize they won\u2019t be asking for your name or email as a way to put users\u2019 concerns at ease is just plain laughable. WhatsApp is telling people they are taking every bit of data necessary to figure out who you are. Who cares if you give them your name? They can figure it out, along with where you had lunch based on the data that is getting collected.\xa0

Now, it might seem like we\u2019re bashing WhatsApp. And we are a little bit, but it\u2019s in the hopes that they will hear the concerns of users around the world and respond in a positive way that preserves user privacy while still allowing them to make a buck and keep the lights on. Fortunately, we at TARTLE are experts on how to handle user privacy and address the concerns of users and companies alike. We would love to sit down with Facebook or any other company struggling to find the sweet spot on this issue and find solutions that will keep everyone happy.

What\u2019s your data worth? www.tartle.co