Meta just announced plans to introduce ads on WhatsApp using personal data from Instagram and Facebook. This marks a significant shift from WhatsApp's original ad-free, privacy-focused model and raises some privacy concerns.
• Potential violation of EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and GDPR, as 'freely given' consent is debatable when users have to pay for not consenting
• A potential 'Pay or Okay' model on WhatsApp forcing users to pay up to €9.99/month to avoid ads
• Data linking across platforms (Instagram and Facebook) without genuine user consent
• According to some studies, only 3-10% of users actually want personalized ads, yet Meta achieves a 99% 'consent' rate through financial pressure
Privacy advocate Max Schrems suggested that this could trigger an exodus to an alternative like Signal, which, as of this moment, does not allow ads and has robust privacy features.
The EU Commission has deemed Meta's current approach illegal in July 2024, citing concerns over the 'Pay or Consent' model and claiming it is a breach of the DMA. This, however, has not deterred Meta from circumnavigating enforcement.
