Ever since Facebook’s acquisition, Whatsapp has evolved quite a lot, mostly for the good, though not every update it pushes out put a smile in everyone’s face. And this latest update is bound to draw flak from users. While the incorporation of Whatsapp Calling, end-to-end encryption, and Whatsapp web and desktop are seen as welcome additions, the updated Terms and Privacy Policy that came with this latest update may not go down well with a lot of folks. Back then when Whatsapp was acquired by the social media giant, it pledged to remain independent of its new parent company, but now, things have took a turn with the new terms and privacy policy now stating that it (Whatsapp) will be sharing some user data with Facebook, along with “any of our other family.”
From what we understand, the data will be used for ad-targeting purposes, as well as tracking basic metrics such as how often you use their (Facebook) services and also to “offer better friend suggestions.” But Whatsapp or Facebook, or any of family of companies for that matter, will not be able to read your messages, so if you are fond of sexting with your secretary, you can continue to do so. Your messages are supposedly safe. As with many T&C and P/P, the new policy provides quite a lengthy read and if you haven’t been reading those dreadful documents that come with just about everything we uses or signed up, perhaps it is a good time to start. At the end of the day, it may not be as creepy as it sounds, but we shall leave it to you to be your own judge but in order for you do that (judge), you have read the entire Privacy Policy which you can find HERE.
However, if you prefer not to, it is not the end of the world either. Whatsapp is giving you a choice (so I guess we should be happy?), though by default you are opted in the moment you tap ‘I agree’ to Whatsapp’s new T&C. Yes. That’s no doubt a very sneaky move on Whatsapp’s part. Anyway, long story short, here’s how you can opt out:
1) If you have just updated the app…
You do not want to tap ‘I agree’ to the T&C right away. Instead, you will want to scroll down to the end of the document where you find a checkbox option for sharing data and make sure you uncheck it before agreeing.
2) If you have already accepted the new T&C…
You will have a 30-day window to opt out. In this case, you want to go to the Whatsapp Settings -> Account and look out for ‘Share my account info’ and uncheck the box.
After you have done either of the above, the ’Share my account info’ box will disappear for good, destroying any trace that it ever wanted you share your info and data.
