How to not share your WhatsApp account information with Facebook

by Volker Weber

Facebook is an ad platform. Get used to it. It's not a social network. It is an ad platform. Got it?

An ad platform works best if it knows your social graph. Not the hundreds of "friends" but the people you are talking to. Likes and comments. And chats. That is your real social graph. That is what Facebook Messenger does. And WhatsApp now as well.

Did you notice how Facebook pressured you to leave your phone number to make your account "more secure"? It's your ID. And by joining your WhatsApp graph (who do you chat with), your Facebook account becomes more valuable.

If you are an existing user, you can choose not to share your account information with Facebook to improve your Facebook ads and products experiences.

New user? Tough luck.

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Comments

Good spot.

Ian Bradbury, 2016-08-25

Don't miss the last paragraph in the linked WhatsApp FAQ entry:

> The Facebook family of companies will still receive
> and use this information for other purposes such as
> improving infrastructure and delivery systems,
> understanding how our services or theirs are used,
> securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or
> infringement activities.

Heiko Wolf, 2016-08-25

Not a problem. I don't use Facebook.

Volker Weber, 2016-08-25

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