WhatsApp
Violated
Major
Primary evidence
Privacy
WhatsApp founders: 'Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA' — no Facebook data sharing
Made 2014-02-19 · Audience: General public
The promise
“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA … Above all else, I want to make sure you understand how deeply I value the principle of private communication. … We have not, we do not and we will not ever sell your personal information to anyone.”
When Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton publicly pledged that user data would never be shared with Facebook. Two years later WhatsApp updated its terms of service to share user phone numbers and metadata with Facebook for ad-targeting and 'business analytics'.
What actually happened (2 sourced violations)
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#1
2016-08-25
918 days later
primary evidence
WhatsApp updates its terms of service to share user phone numbers and account information with Facebook for advertising.
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#2
2021-09-02
2,752 days later
primary evidence
EU regulators fine WhatsApp €225 million for failing to disclose how it shares user data with other Facebook companies.
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