WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger's new Apple privacy labels are frightening

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger's new Apple tree privacy labels are frightening

(Image credit: Allie Zru)

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger collect a huge corporeality of user data compared to other superlative messaging apps, according to new privacy labels Apple rolled out this year.

A written report by Forbes (via 9to5Mac) found that Apple tree'southward App Store privacy labels, which flag the specific nature of the user data that apps collect, reveal WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger assemble significantly more kinds of data than messaging app alternatives iMessage or Signal.

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The Facebook Messenger app has 65 unlike privacy labels spanning third-party advertizement, analytics, production personalization, app functionality and "other purposes," while WhatsApp has 16 labels.

Facebook WhatsApp message privacy — (Epitome credit: Forbes (via 9to5Mac))

Meanwhile, Apple'due south own iMessage has 3 labels and encrypted messaging service Point has none.

Some of this may sound familiar to Android users, who tin view the number of permissions each Android app takes for itself by clicking "View Details" nether the Permissions heading at the bottom of an app's Google Play folio. But Apple tree's new labels are easier to read and more detailed.

Facebook oversees both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, pregnant the company is collecting the most data of all the best chat apps used in Forbes'due south report. Of class if you know how to employ WhatsApp or how to stop Facebook from sharing your data, y'all can do some command over how both apps manage your data. Only that could change soon.

Starting February. 8 WhatsApp will take no choice most what kind of data will be shared with its parent visitor, co-ordinate to a privacy policy update. WhatsApp users will no longer be able to opt-out of this data collection, making the change mandatory for anyone who wants to continue using WhatsApp messaging, phone call and video chat services.

Since 2016, WhatsApp had enabled cantankerous-communication with Facebook, simply gave users the option to forgo data sharing. Now it's non-optional. Although WhatsApp letters are encrypted by default, information on who you lot message, and how oft you do information technology, is off-white game for Facebook.

Amid an ongoing advertizement state of war with Apple over user data, Facebook published an FAQ that attempts to justify WhatsApp user data collection. Information technology doesn't explain why the company's chat apps earned more than privacy labels compared to competing programs, though.

The new WhatsApp privacy policy is available on WhatsApp's website. If you don't like what yous see, or this Forbes report leaves you uneasy, make sure to check out the best chat apps and the all-time encrypted messaging apps for alternatives.

Kate Kozuch is a senior author at Tom's Guide covering wearables, TVs and everything smart-home related. When she'due south not in cyborg mode, you lot can find her on an practice wheel or channeling her inner celebrity chef. She and her robot ground forces will rule the world i day, only until then, achieve her at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com.