Advocates Ask Facebook to Maintain WhatsApp Privacy Standards

Facebook should stop reversing WhatsApp privacy protections and not collect payment and transaction data from users, said about three dozen advocacy groups, announcing a campaign Monday. “This latest move to encroach upon the privacy of WhatsApp users is further proof that Facebook is using exploitative practices and abusing its dominant market power,” said Public Citizen Digital Rights Program Director Burcu Kilic. Facebook is scheduled to make the change May 15. PC, the Center for Digital Democracy, Electronic Privacy Information Center and Fight for the Future signed. They cited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s promises in 2014 not to “change plans around WhatsApp and the way it uses user data.” The company didn’t comment.