‘Insulate’<\/strong><\/p>\nFacebook, the world’s top social network with 1.2 billion users, generates the majority of its revenue by showing ads that target users by age, gender and other traits.<\/p>\n
“As we have said repeatedly, WhatsApp will operate as a separate company and will honour its commitments to privacy and security,” Facebook said in a statement seen by Reuters.<\/p>\n
Facebook announced its intention to buy WhatsApp, which has 450 million users who are able to send instant messages and other media over mobile, with cash and stock.<\/p>\n
There is no charge for individual messages, which are sent using wi-fi or data connections, making it cheaper than SMS messaging in many cases. Other users pay around \u00a30.60 per year subscription.<\/p>\n
Referring to the business model, Jan Koum wrote on the WhatsApp website: “When people ask us why we charge for WhatsApp, we say, ‘Have you considered the alternative?'”<\/p>\n
Despite assurances by WhatsApp and Facebook that the privacy policies will not change, the groups noted that Mark Zuckerberg’s social networking company has in the past amended an acquired-company’s privacy policies.<\/p>\n
Notably, it did so with the Instagram photo-sharing service that it bought in 2012.<\/p>\n
Regulators must require that Facebook “insulate” WhatsApp user information from access by Facebook’s data collection practices, read the complaint, which was dated 6 March 2014.<\/p>\n
“WhatsApp users could not reasonably have anticipated that by selecting a pro-privacy messaging service, they would subject their data to Facebook’s data collection practices,” read the filing.<\/p>\n
The FTC will decide whether the acquisition can go ahead and, if so, whether or not conditions should be imposed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Facebook’s purchase of mobile messaging service WhatsApp has been opposed by privacy groups. Mark Zuckerberg’s firm is planning to buy the company for around \u00a311bn. Opponents want US regulators to stop the deal until Facebook provides more information on what it plans to do with the personal data of WhatsApp’s users. But Facebook said it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[18],"yoast_head":"\n
Facebook's WhatsApp purchase challenged - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n