WhatsApp is getting ads using personal data from Instagram and Facebook

https://noyb.eu/en/whatsapp-getting-ads-using-personal-data-instagram-and-facebook

281 points · 30 comments · view on lemmy.world

30 Comments

SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works · 49 pts · 1y (2 replies)

"WhatsApp doesn't collect your data!"

(because everything else they own does)

Stomata@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1y

Who you contact, when, how, from where is bing collected

racoon@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 1y
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Goldmaster@lemmy.ml · 34 pts · 1y (1 reply)

So the whole security and privacy claims are purely marketing.

hansolo@lemmy.today · 19 pts · 1y

Yes, but so are the ads!

Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 32 pts · 1y

What? The communications app owned by Facebook is using data from other Facebook owned platforms to target ads? Who could have ever seen this coming!

arch@feddit.nl · 19 pts · 1y (1 reply)

It’s unfortunately hard to convert people from WhatsApp to other software, because contacts might care to move but the group will not…

Droggelbecher@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

I've had 2 or more messenging apps for about a decade now because of this.

SW42@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 1y (3 replies)

I wonder from where they get the data if I don’t have Facebook or Instagram. WhatsApp is a shitty app that I begrudgingly use because of the parents groups and some relatives that I didn’t manage to make switch to signal.

EveningPancakes@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 26 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Facebook absolutely builds ghost profiles for people who don't have a Facebook profile. You see all of those "Like" buttons on non-Facebook websites? Those are cookies that are essentially tracking you. They may not have your first/last name or other personal data as a regular profile, but they can build a pretty damn good composite of you. Source - I work in the ad industry

SW42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

Yeah I thought it would be something like that… feels shady af

stevedice@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 1y

WhatsApp links you to a social circle and Meta has all of the information of said social circle.

I don't need to know you like soccer if I know 10 people who have a soccer team and you're on all of their contact lists.

AtariDump@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 1y

Time to switch to a different client.

Check out Signal; it works very well.

MrSoup@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 1y (2 replies)

And people will still use it.

AmanitaCaesarea@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 1y (1 reply)

We lemmings are cool enough to do that. The struggle is convincing everyone else🥲

Stomata@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 1y

Saddest truth

NutWrench@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 1y (2 replies)

The next time you wonder, "wow. How can they provide this amazing service for free?" always remember: YOU are the product.

Zerush@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1y

Amazing? Whatscrap? I think there are way better services out there for free as this Zuckerbot trash.

racoon@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y
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rollerbang@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y

What happened to them not being allowed to bridge data? Or is this not the case in EU?

a4ng3l@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

Haaaa noyb… never a dull moment with them.

AmanitaCaesarea@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 1y

Signal, Telegram, SimpleX.

Spin the wheel ladies and gentlemen!

lemming@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Is there, by any chance, an alternative client?

monovergent@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)

There's the Whatsapp web client on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.kuenzler.whatsappwebtogo/

But it still requires the official mobile app for the initial login. When I used it, logging in once seemed to be good for a few months, as long you open it from time to time. There's also a Whatsapp clone that seems to support login, but I haven't tried it and it hasn't seen updates in a couple years: https://github.com/KhubaibKhan4/Whatsify-Android

lemming@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 1y

Thanks. It seems to be just whatsapp web in an app form, so I could probaby just go to my browser. But that's still an interesting idea that never ocurred to me on phone.

notarobot@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y

Tbh. This took waaay longer than i expected. They bought it con 2014. I didn't even know a company was capable of holding its enshitification tendencies that long

umbrella@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1y (5 replies)
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autonomoususer@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1y

Privacy is never single player, so we must get good at spreading our ideas to those around us.

monovergent@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y (3 replies)

Same here, not yet at the point where I can convince all my colleagues to switch over. Why disable notifications in particular?

umbrella@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1y (2 replies)
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monovergent@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I see. I'm notorious among colleagues for going the extra mile and putting Whatsapp on a separate phone, which I only check on a routine. Hoping that there's a category of notifications can be disabled for ads, but no big loss if the notifications should be shut off altogether.

umbrella@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1y
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sunzu2@thebrainbin.org · 2 pts · 1y (2 replies)
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autonomoususer@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y

So, stop saying privacy. Say control, scam and abuse.

yournamehere@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y

Normies got nothing to say and have no mind.

DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 1y

you can still hide your messages with gpg the green in the logo may be glowing brighter then ever and if you cant move from it atleast use gpg