WhatsApp Facebook Privacy Concerns

The cluster centers on WhatsApp's ownership by Facebook (Meta), users' continued reliance on it despite privacy risks, data sharing practices, and related controversies like terms changes and regulatory issues.

📉 Falling 0.5x Security
3,336
Comments
17
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#2990
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2010
1
2011
3
2012
20
2013
27
2014
192
2015
108
2016
280
2017
198
2018
333
2019
245
2020
269
2021
727
2022
280
2023
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2024
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2025
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2026
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Keywords

e.g FB AI HN t.me ycombinator.com BS PavelDurovs whatsapp.com DMA whatsapp facebook instagram fb telegram owned privacy marcus meta merger

Sample Comments

Kinrany Aug 26, 2022 View on HN

Do they still use WhatsApp despite it being owned by Facebook?

gbear605 Jan 30, 2019 View on HN

WhatsApp is owned by Facebook as of 2014, so unfortunately all the same issues with Facebook apply to them too.

parliament32 Jan 6, 2021 View on HN

Whatsapp is a facebook app, that's the point.

quickthrower2 May 23, 2021 View on HN

Handy way to keep in touch. WhatsApp wasn’t always p0wnd by Facebook.

jackdh Jul 27, 2022 View on HN

Until they start to require Facebook to log into WhatsApp..

iklos55 Jan 12, 2017 View on HN

This is amazing - you're saying that Wechat has privacy issues but advertise Whatsapp.

postsantum Jan 29, 2021 View on HN

Facebook is trivial, Whatsapp is not

setum May 26, 2021 View on HN

WhatsApp a facebook company, in midst of changing their terms to reduce user privacy is suing to defend privacy. that’s funny!

dang_wumao Dec 6, 2021 View on HN

It's silly to think that WhatsApp wasn't sharing data with FB.

ohithereyou Dec 26, 2019 View on HN

WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, and Facebook must know all.