WhatsApp says it plans to start sharing your phone number and other account information with Facebook in order to "improve your Facebook ads and products experiences." The messaging service revised its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to include information on how Facebook will use your information:
Facebook and the other companies in the Facebook family also may use information from us to improve your experiences within their services such as making product suggestions (for example, of friends or connections, or of interesting content) and showing relevant offers and ads.
How do I opt out?
If you've accepted WhatsApp's updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, you still have 30 days to opt out. Here's how you do that:
- Launch WhatsApp.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Account.
- Tap the switch to disable Share My Account Info.
- Tap Don't Share.
- To confirm you've opted out, check to see that Share My Account Info is grayed out.
That's it! You've successfully opted out of WhatsApp sharing your account information for advertisement and product purposes. Of note, WhatsApp says Facebook will still have access to your information for "other purposes," including fighting spam and improving security.
Questions?
Having trouble opting out? Drop a comment below!
