Whatsapp (Facebook)'s ultimatum?

[ian87w]

WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using the app

The Facebook-owned messenger with 2 billion users revamps its privacy policy.

arstechnica.com

As "expected," Facebook really wants that contact data with all active (and probably primary) phone numbers. So.... what now? TBH, I'm not a fan of Whatsapp itself, but in my country, not using whatsapp is like not having a cellphone. It has ingrained in the society so much that even government institutions are using it. And imo it seems unlikely for majority of people to move to another platform.

On my Android, at least there's a "Not Now" option to "delay" the agreement, although I'm sure it's probably just a placebo.

 

[Ixon2001]

I use Telegram, if people want to talk to me they use Telegram otherwise text message or a phone call, I stopped using Whatsapp after they sold out to Facebook.

I hate Facebook or anything to do with Facebook with a passion, I've seen it cause so much trouble over the years at work & among friends, at one point early in Facebook's life i was being pressed by Management to start a Facebook account, which i politely replied with you can get F'ed.

 

[ian87w]

I use Telegram, if people want to talk to me they use Telegram otherwise text message or a phone call, I stopped using Whatsapp after they sold out to Facebook.

I hate Facebook or anything to do with Facebook with a passion, I've seen it cause so much trouble over the years at work & among friends, at one point early in Facebook's life i was being pressed by Management to start a Facebook account, which i politely replied with you can get F'ed.

It's easier said than done here. Whatsapp has been integrated even into many businesses and institutions here. And since regular calls and texts cost money, almost any individuals will want you to contact them via whatsapp.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It’s difficult to avoid WhatsApp in my country too. All my group chats between friends is done on it and even texts for business purposes are done through it. A lot of my colleagues work throughout Europe. I’ll be honest though I never talk about anything particularly personal through it. Mostly boring work talk or jokes between friends.

 

[Tig Bitties]

My circle of WhatsApp users are immediately dumping this and going to Signal. F Facebook evil scum.

 

[Apple_Robert]

It's easier said than done here. Whatsapp has been integrated even into many businesses and institutions here. And since regular calls and texts cost money, almost any individuals will want you to contact them via whatsapp.

In my opinion, you should email all your contacts and tell them you are switching to (app name here). Let them know that you will be glad to talk with them as always but, on the app you have chosen. Be proactive, be nice and people may come around. It's not like Signal or Telegram will cost them money. If they want to stick with WhatsApp and refuse to contact you any other way, then you know just how little you mean to those certain contacts.

 

[ian87w]

In my opinion, you should email all your contacts and tell them you are switching to (app name here). Let them know that you will be glad to take with them as always but, on the app you have chosen. Be proactive, be nice and people may come around. It's not like Signal or Telegram will cost them money. If they want to stick with WhatsApp and refuse to contact you any other way, then you know just how little you mean to those certain contacts.

LOL, sure, but it would be much harder to convince businesses and institutions to just switch...

I mean we are at the point that some e-commerce are sending their OTP via WhatsApp. That’s how ingrained the service has become. It’s no longer just individuals having personal chat.

 

[Apple_Robert]

LOL, sure, but it would be much harder to convince businesses and institutions to just switch...

I mean we are at the point that some e-commerce are sending their OTP via WhatsApp. That’s how ingrained the service has become. It’s no longer just individuals having personal chat.

OTP thru WhatsApp is downright stupid and irresponsible, in my opinion. I wish you well in the fight. There is no way in hades I would acquiesce to WhatsApp.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Which do you recommend as a replacement? Telegram or Signal?

 

[hallux]

On my Android, at least there's a "Not Now" option to "delay" the agreement, although I'm sure it's probably just a placebo.

You have until Feb. 8 to accept it. If you fail to accept the agreement your account gets deleted.

As the last message I sent in Whatsapp was 3/12/20, I beat them to the punch and deleted my account and removed the app. I had it for the rare occasions I was traveling with a certain group of people from work that I did a couple projects with. The last one of those was in 2018 or 2019 and my last message attempt was to my dad to update on a flight delay as Whatsapp was supposed to be free on the plane (delay was after the door was closed). That message didn't go out until I was on the ground at my layover and I connected to cellular data, so much for free Whatsapp on the plane WiFi!!

FYI - deleting your account also deletes the backup in your Google Drive...

 

[Apple_Robert]

Which do you recommend as a replacement? Telegram or Signal?

I like Signal's ease of use, privacy terms, and the fact that it is funded by donations.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

There is no way on earth I would stop using WhatsApp or Facebook. They are both important applications that keep me connected to pretty much everybody I know. I appreciate their ethics aren’t ideal but as tools they are incredibly useful.

 

[retta283]

Personally I do not accept text messages in most situations. If you want to speak you have to call me. This partially comes from the fact that when I worked in the Taxi rank back in the day we had no texting support for our drivers so they had to call on the phone to set up a fare. Likewise, the number I had was call-only for telling customers that I had arrived at their pickup. Luckily for me I don't have many contacts so I can get by without texting often, because I cannot stand texting. So no apps for me.

But, if you cannot help the need to keep in contact via text, I most certainly advise staying away from WhatsApp and Facebook messenger. Complete crap from Facebook. @Apple_Robert makes excellent points on the front of informing contacts of your switch, if they are unwilling to talk to you elsewhere they most likely are not worth the time anyway. Any business that holds any of its functions exclusively in WhatApps is completely foolish and incompetent.

 

[russell_314]

There is no way on earth I would stop using WhatsApp or Facebook. They are both important applications that keep me connected to pretty much everybody I know. I appreciate their ethics aren’t ideal but as tools they are incredibly useful.

I think a lot of people feel this way. They want privacy but they’re also willing to trade some of their private information for convenience. I guess everything is a balance.

 

[Yptcn]

I deleted Facebook years ago , now WhatsApp and Instagram have gotten the same pile of rubbish .

 

[MarkX]

I deleted Facebook years ago , now WhatsApp and Instagram have gotten the same pile of rubbish .

Agreed. I've never really used Instagram but I do use Facebook, have only recently decided to cut back on my use of it as it's mostly ads these days.

WhatsApp would be near impossible to stop using though for me.

 

[camilasaunder89]

I use whatsapp but the latest privacy policies are quites serious. Hope they are not storing the data.

 

[KennethS]

I am not particularly fussed about Facebook having access to my WhatsApp conversations, which are quiet boring. I do hate Facebook and avoid using it, personally. However, when giving them access to my contacts via WhatsApp my concern is the duty I owe to persons I maintain details of in my contacts. That detail goes far beyond telephone numbers (which is itself private info) but also includes email addresses, home and work addresses, work titles, birthdates, etc. It is quite a lot of personal information and I feel under a duty not to just hand it over to Facebook. The latest WhatsApp ToS give me pause, and out of respect for those who I have personal details in my contact app I feel Facebook are forcing me to dump WhatsApp.

 

[russell_314]

I use whatsapp but the latest privacy policies are quites serious. Hope they are not storing the data.

Of course they’re storing the data. What’s worse is well you may not mind Facebook having your information you’re also giving away other peoples information. It would be nice if someone took Facebook to court on this. Whatever on your phone WhatsApp has access to Facebook does as well. If WhatsApp has access to your contacts and you have home addresses, work addresses, email addresses, birthdays, phone numbers listed, Facebook adds this to their database. You might not have given Facebook your alternate email or your home address and phone number but Bob who has your name in his contacts did so Facebook adds that to your profile. I don’t mean your publicly visible profile or even the one you can see but the one they have on you that you can’t see. Facebook is all about collecting and selling private data and by having one of their data mining apps on your phone they’re making money off you.

 

[hallux]

That detail goes far beyond telephone numbers (which is itself private info)

But if both you and that contact continue using Whatsapp they are handing at least this info over to FB.

In fact - if any of those contacts also use FB they've already provided much of that information to FB themselves unless they entered inaccurate info when signing up as some have done.

 

[5105973]

I just realized one third of the people on my contacts are now deceased. A good chunk of the rest are elderly relatives who don't answer their phones anymore and don't have email addresses.

Shop Samsung app insisted it needed access to my contacts in order to function. It has now hoovered up a lot of useless information. That greatly pleases me.

As for Facebook, it turned out to be the place where lifelong relationships went to die an ugly death. I saw a side of friends and family emerge on FB that I never would have believed existed. Indeed, that didn't exist when I knew these people in daily life or even via other older social media platforms where I met some of them, like AOL.

You can't convince me there wasn't some sort of psychological experimentation going on there. I saw the manipulation happen in real time before my very eyes as more "features" got implemented.

I am frankly surprised FB has gotten such a decisive presence in Europe. I thought members of the EU put such a high value on privacy and much legislation into protecting it.

 

[Ixon2001]

What cracks me up about Facebook is how perfect people make their lives out to be, when in reality it's far far from the truth.

My Wife never off Social Media and she always showing me pictures of her friends playing happy families, having a great time ect ect. :/

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

What cracks me up about Facebook is how perfect people make their lives out to be, when in reality it's far far from the truth.

My Wife never off Social Media and she always showing me pictures of her friends playing happy families, having a great time ect ect. :/

That’s not Facebook, that’s basic human behaviour that goes back to the curtain twitching days of old.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Whatsapp has become nothing but a meme messaging service for me.