WhatsApp to start sharing user data with Facebook

After WhatsApp was bought by Facebook in 2014, users worried that the messaging app's strong stance on privacy might be compromised. Co-founder Jan Koum hoped to stem these fears, writing in a blog post at the time: "Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible." Today, though, the company is loosening some of its own restrictions, and has announced it will begin sharing a limited amount of user data — including individuals' phone numbers — with parent company Facebook.

WhatsApp says that sharing this information means Facebook can offer better friend suggestions by mapping users' social connections across the two services, and deliver more relevant ads...

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WhatsApp to start sharing user data with Facebook
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