Digital life: WhatsApp shares data with Facebook.

Some researchers define this era as the era of the privacy death. Without being alarming, we are assisting to a radical change in the data collection methods and the consequent profiling activities. Without exploring topics such as privacy, freedom over internet and informatics security we want to share a thought about the people’s lack of attention and awareness about these topics.

How would you react if a day an operator of your phone company knocked at your door to install in your home a microphone to record all what you are talking about and with whom you are talking to, in order to better profile you and provide better advertisings? Probably you would just send him back, slamming the door angrily. However, in real life this is happening almost every day in a silent and invisible way each time you use your social platforms and etc. etc. creating a vast and uncontrolled database of sensible data about your life.

Inviting you to be more conscious about these aspects, in these days the well-known application WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, announced a change in the privacy policies. The App is asking the users to accept to share your phone data with Facebook and connected companies. Do not do it, at least if you do not want to have an even more detailed profiling about yourself to “have better experiences with advertising and Facebook products”.

When you receive this advice, you can choose “read” and here opt to avoid the data sharing for advertising purposes. If you already unconsciously accepted it, you can still withdraw your consent within 30 days.

To do it you shall go on your “settings”, then “account” and, in the end, opting out unchecking “Share my Account Info”. This will prevent Facebook to use your phone data to profile you for advertising purposes while there is no way to stop Facebook and connected companies to use your data to provide a “better” service.

“The user is the product and his data the money”, pay attention.

Euroleges ®