WhatsApp has submitted a new update to the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the latest version of the app to 2.18.57. Though the update doesn’t come with many features, an online report suggests WhatsApp has released new Terms of Services (ToS) and Privacy Policy which are all set to change in upcoming stable updates. The purported ToS reveals that WhatsApp will start sharing user data with parent company Facebook. Users will also have the option to block the businesses jumping on the platform via the WhatsApp for Business app.
The popular messaging app didn’t do a great job at hiding these objectionable Terms of Service as the WhatsApp update tracker WABetaInfo got hold of them recently. The website posted a new list of ToS which reveals the company will be sharing personal information with “Facebook companies” although “it [information] will only be used to provide services to WhatsApp.”
Though it doesn’t clarify whether this translates into enhanced tracking, ToS reaffirms that “nothing you share on WhatsApp, including your phone number, will be shown on Facebook or any of the Facebook Company Products, unless you choose to show it.”
In addition, the ToS states that sharing posts from Facebook-owned platforms like Instagram will be soon easier on WhatsApp. The app will also work with products under the Facebook banner to promote and extend the services to users on other platforms.
WhatsApp is also working on certain features to help businesses get adjusted to the app faster as the per the Terms of Service. These include collaborating with Facebook companies to offer users with “sponsored content/ ads from these businesses.”
Finally, the new Terms of Service reveal the WhatsApp shares information with other Facebook Companies to ensure the safety of users on the platform by removing things like hate speech, dangerous activity, and abusive content. However, in this section, the company admits that they will share the personal information such as phone numbers, profile names, businesses you interact with, device details and sponsored content/ads. This will allow them to provide better security and improvement of services.
