WhatsApp: Difference between revisions

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There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |website=The Verge |date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |website=The Guardian |date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021}}</ref>

===~~Moral arbitration~~ (~~''2024—''~~)===

=== Disappearing messages (2021-2022) ===

WhatsApp ~~has used its dominant market share to act as a self~~-~~appointed moral arbiter~~.

WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages are deleted after being viewed.<ref name="TechCrunch-20220809" />

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen~~, supposedly~~ to "protect the privacy" of its users. This ~~only is~~ possible because ~~the~~ mainstream mobile operating systems, [[Android]] and [[iOS]], let applications disable screen capturing ~~against~~ the ~~will~~ of device owners.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |website=WhatsApp |date= |access-date=17 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/NfBAa |archive-date=22 Dec 2024}}</ref>

===Disabling screen captures of profile pictures (''2024—'')===

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen to "protect the privacy" of its users. This made possible because mainstream mobile operating systems, [[Android]] and [[iOS]], let applications disable screen capturing on devices without the consent of the of device owners.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |website=WhatsApp |date= |access-date=17 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/NfBAa |archive-date=22 Dec 2024}}</ref>

Profile ~~picture screenshots~~ are ~~no privacy violation, given~~ that ~~they are something users~~ voluntarily ~~choose to make public~~ on ~~a visible spot of~~ their profiles~~, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp~~. ~~It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta~~, ~~Inc.).~~

Profile pictures are not mandatory to use WhatsApp and are therefore images that a user has voluntarily made accessible on their profiles. As such, profile pictures are not private images.

~~WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages~~ are ~~forcibly deleted after being viewed~~.~~<ref name="TechCrunch-20220809" />~~

===Introduction of advertising (''2025'')===

@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |website=The Verge |date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |website=The Guardian |date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021}}</ref>
-===Moral arbitration (''2024—'')===
+=== Disappearing messages (2021-2022) ===
-WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a self-appointed moral arbiter.
+WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages are deleted after being viewed.<ref name="TechCrunch-20220809" />
-In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, [[Android]] and [[iOS]], let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |website=WhatsApp |date= |access-date=17 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/NfBAa |archive-date=22 Dec 2024}}</ref>
+===Disabling screen captures of profile pictures (''2024—'')===
+In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen to "protect the privacy" of its users. This made possible because mainstream mobile operating systems, [[Android]] and [[iOS]], let applications disable screen capturing on devices without the consent of the of device owners.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=About profile photo screenshot blocking |url=https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 |website=WhatsApp |date= |access-date=17 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/NfBAa |archive-date=22 Dec 2024}}</ref>
-Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.).
+Profile pictures are not mandatory to use WhatsApp and are therefore images that a user has voluntarily made accessible on their profiles. As such, profile pictures are not private images.
-WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages are forcibly deleted after being viewed.<ref name="TechCrunch-20220809" />
 ===Introduction of advertising (''2025'')===