Whatsapp - New data mining by Facebook

[red-beard]

There is a lot of stuff flowing around the internet on Whatsapp now sending a lot of data to Facebook, (parent company) unless you are in the EU. It appears to be browser data, location information and lots of secondary data about your usage.

Does this bother you?

Does it bother you enough to leave?

I've cut back to a minimum my posts on Facebook. I have not dropped entirely because one of my businesses uses Facebook for advertising.

Please keep this thread to privacy and data miniing issues. I'm starting a different thread in PARF on the political implications.

[Paul_Heery]

Whatsup ? Did you mean WhatsApp?

[red-beard]

I guess. Autocorrect

[SCadaddle]

I deactivated my Facebook account back in July. It's amazing what else I've found to waste my time with nowadays, and the unsolicited phone calls have approached nil.

[cabmandone]

I haven't had a FB account in over a decade and don't use any social media apps simply because of things like this.

[Rick Lee]

I've never heard of Whatsup. But the way GDPR is written, they can go after just about anyone who has any customers who are EU citizens. I don't know that they've tried it in court yet, but the fines are ruinous.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I haven't had a FB account in over a decade and don't use any social media apps simply because of things like this.

I never had an account on any social media but here and Garage Journal.

My kids and my wife have deleted their FB accounts, Twitter, etc...my son inparticular since he is a lawyer.

[Sooner or later]

I believe they have changed their privacy policy. If you use the app you must now agree to have them send data mining info to Daddy Facebook.

Doesn’t matter to me. I avoid Facebook, Twitter, Whatsitsname, etc like the covid.

[stevej37]

The first week that Facebook started, I joined up. (2004)

Didn't use it often and a couple years later I forgot my password. After trying to sign in three times...they locked me out.

Never tried again.

[wdfifteen]

When we wanted to advertise on facebook 10 years or so ago you had to have a personal account for some reason. I never used the personal account and now the company has its own account. I think I still have the origianal account. I tried to delete it once but they asked a bunch of personal questions that I didn't want to share (address, phone number etc). As far as I know they don't know my current address or phone number and I want to keep it that way.

[dad911]

I'm on facebook, but not with my phone.

Interesting thing about location services, I broke down on a country road about a month ago. Perhaps 1 car every few minutes, and they all could pass. After 15 minutes or so, I brought up map program to give tow driver my location, and the spot where I was 'stuck' was marked as 'traffic'.

[red-beard]

Part of the reason I'm asking is one of the vendors/clients for one of my companies is in Columbia and prefers to use Whatsapp. I have avoided joining for many years (seemed like too much junk to me). My wife uses it with her European friends, but she does not have a Facebook account.

I'm going to nicely tell the guy I'm not installing due to the data-mining by Facebook.

[biosurfer1]

I've never understood why people care so much.

Facebook knows I like car pages...big deal. Businesses have been datamining since the dawn of commercials, they continue to get more efficient at it. If that means the ad's I see on the internet are actually things I might be interested in, whoopie. I basically never click ad's but I would be more likely to if it weren't the random crap generated most of the time.

Imagine how much would be accomplished if more people didn't waste their time coming up with nefarious conspiracy theories about what Facebook/Apple/Big Tech is doing with all this data... news flash, they are trying to make more money from it.

[GH85Carrera]

I use Facebook at home on my computer with privacy setting set to high. I do NOT use any social media on my phone, with the exception of TapaTalk for Pelican when I am bored and waiting for something.

I like Facebook because I have some real friends and relatives that I can keep up with.

[Gus Berges]

It's very common down here in Latin America to use WhatsApp, but after the new privacy policy, many people are jumping ship to Telegram and Signal. Both offer similar, if not better, security and features and much more private.

Originally Posted by red-beard

Part of the reason I'm asking is one of the vendors/clients for one of my companies is in Columbia and prefers to use Whatsapp. I have avoided joining for many years (seemed like too much junk to me). My wife uses it with her European friends, but she does not have a Facebook account.

I'm going to nicely tell the guy I'm not installing due to the data-mining by Facebook.

[flipper35]

I don't do Facebook. Because of that I will end up with a Valve Index instead of the far less expensive Occulus stuff. Don't use WhatsApp because of the FB integration requirements as well. It is bad enough Google gets as much data about you as they do, I am not adding it to FB which has so far shown to be far less interested in security.

[Ayles]

I use whats app to communicate with my when she is in places like Ethiopia or Nairobi for work. Its the most relible tool when in a less developed area with spotty internet.

[VINMAN]

We always used WhatsApp for notifications and stuff with my USAR team. FEMA and the State Police banned its use for team business, citing security concerns.

I see many places using Telegraph now. But only a matter of time before thereare issues with that.


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