How to prevent Facebook from using your WhatsApp data to target ads at you…

Facebook, which acquired popular messaging service WhatsApp in 2014, is continuing to inexplicably connect the two together.

In a new update to its privacy terms and conditions, WhatsApp informed its users yesterday that it will share phone numbers and usage information with Facebook as part of an effort to build out its own business communication platform.

This is the first time WhatsApp is formally sharing user data with its parent company. It’s been a move many people have been afraid for so long. But don’t fret. There’s a way out. But it will be valid for only the next 29 days.

There are two ways to opt out.

Option 1

You can opt out of sharing your WhatsApp account information the very first time you see the app's new terms of service. Scroll through the entire terms and conditions document and you will find a hidden checkbox at the bottom that lets you opt out.

This is a sneaky trick by WhatsApp because it rightly postulates that not many people read the entire document before hitting ‘I agree.’

Option 2

What if you’ve already agreed to the new terms of services while still half asleep? You can still opt out within the next 29 days. This is how you do it.

Head to Settings —> Account —> Share my account info and uncheck the box.

So if you do this, will WhatsApp stop sending your data to Facebook? No. The only consolation is that data they send will be not be used to target more ads at you. However, it will be used by “the Facebook family of companies for other purposes such as improving infrastructure and delivery systems, understanding how our services or theirs are used, securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or infringement activities."

So what’s the way out? Uninstalling WhatsApp is a start!