WhatsApp, Facebook, Signal, Telegram… These different messaging applications have been at the heart of users’ questions since the case of changing the WhatsApp T & Cs broke. In order to choose which one best meets your expectations, it can be useful to have a better idea of ​​the data collected by each.
Chances are you are one of the pissed off WhatsApp users who want to switch to another messaging app. After the media muddle of the firm around its change of T & Cs, many are looking for an alternative more respectful of their privacy. Signal, in particular, has experienced a significant boost in popularity since the start of the controversy thanks to its unparalleled privacy policy.
However, Facebook still does not want to explain the changes to WhatsApp’s T & Cs. Users have been given a deadline until May 15, 2021 before their entry into force, but which will surely be used for many of them to make the transition to another platform. However, if protecting your privacy is your main motivation for switching between messaging apps, it’s best to have an overview of the data collected by the most popular ones. Fortunately, the new policy of the App Store which requires full transparency from developers makes the task much easier.
WhatsApp: in the footsteps of Facebook
Advertising and marketing data collected:
- Identifiers: device id
- Usage data: advertising data
Analysis data collected:
- Purchases: purchase history
- Location: approximate location
- Contact information : phone number
- User content: other user content
- Identifiers: user credentials, device identifier
- Usage data: product interaction, advertising data
- Diagnostic : fault data, performance data, other diagnostic data
Product personalization data collected:
- User content: other user content
The application functionality data collected:
- Purchases: purchase history
- Financial informations : payment information
- Location: approximate location
- Contact information : e-mail address, phone number
- Contacts
- User content: customer support, other user content
- Identifiers: user credentials, device identifier
- Usage data: interaction with the product
- Diagnostic : fault data, performance data, other diagnostic data
Data stored for other purposes:
- Contact information : phone number
- Identifiers: user credentials, device identifier
- Usage data: interaction with the product
Also read: WhatsApp – here are the 5 best messaging alternatives
Facebook: the all-round champion
In addition to its tracking data, which allows it to detect the sites and applications visited by the user, Facebook displays the same data collected in each category.
The tracking data collected:
- Contact information : physical address, e-mail address, name, telephone number
- Identifiers: user credentials, device identifier
- Other types of data
Third party advertising, advertising and marketing, analytics, personalization and functionality data collected:
- Purchases: purchase history
- Financial informations : other financial information
- Location: precise location, approximate location
- Contact information : physical address, e-mail address, name, telephone number, other contact details of the user
- Contacts
- User content: photos or videos, game experience content, other user content.
- History of research
- Navigation history
- Identifiers: user credentials, device identifier
- Usage data: product interaction, advertising data, other usage data
- Diagnostic : fault data, performance data, other diagnostic data
- Other types of data
Signal: the big winner
The application functionality data collected:
- Contact information : phone number
Telegram: hardly more than Signal
The application functionality data collected:
- Contact information : name, phone number
- Contacts
- Identifiers: user ID
It is clear that Signal and Telegram protect the privacy of their users more than their direct competitors. While it is common knowledge that Facebook is greedy in personal data, it appears that WhatsApp is following in the footsteps of its parent company. Although the messaging application has specified that the data shared with the social network only concerns conversations with companies, it is clear that CGU asks, from the start, a lot of concessions from its users. The future will tell if the exodus of these to other platforms continues.
Source: ZDNet
