Facebook-owned company WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps for Android and iOS smartphones. There are billions of people who use WhatsApp as a daily messaging app and share billions of photos, videos, and other types of data with each other. However, if you’re a WhatsApp user you must have heard about the new user WhatsApp privacy policy. Many users have misconceptions that their chat messages will also be collected by WhatsApp for company use which is not true. According to the new WhatsApp policy 2021, this is the list of data that will be collected and will be shared with all Facebook-owned companies and third-party companies as well in order to use the service:
- Hardware Model
- Operating System
- Battery Level
- Signal Strength
- Time Zone
- IP Address
- Profile Picture
- WhatsApp Status
- Your WhatsApp Name
- Contact Details
Your chats will still be secured end-to-end encrypted and will not be collected by the company, however, collecting such data from billions of users could have the potential to be very dangerous for a country or the whole world. So, how you can secure yourself from the new WhatsApp privacy policy?
There are so many ways to protect your sensitive data, however, you’ve just only two ways to stop your data from being collected by WhatsApp and we will talk about both of them. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
#1 Delete Your WhatsApp Account Completely
You must be careful about your privacy and the best way to avoid your data from being collected by the company, do not to use WhatsApp. You can delete your WhatsApp account completely and try using another online messaging app like Signal or Telegram. These Messaging apps do not collect any users’ data and are not intended to earn money.
Read More: 10 Best Alternatives to WhatsApp to Switch Right Now
Here’s how to delete your WhatsApp account completely:
- Open WhatsApp on your Android or iPhone device
- Tap on three verticle dots from the top right corner
- Tap on “Settings“
- Tap on “Account“
- Tap on “Delete my account“
- Enter your current WhatsApp phone number
- Tap on “Delete my account“
- On the next option, give a reason for deleting your WhatsApp account and tap on “Delete my account” to proceed further
- At the last step, confirm your account deletion by tapping on “Delete My Account“.
That’s it. WhatsApp will delete your account along with all your chats, groups, status, and profile picture.
Read More: How to Move Your WhatsApp Group Chats to Signal App
#2 Make These Changes with Your WhatsApp Account
If you still want to use WhatsApp messenger, make these changes with your WhatsApp account so Facebook can collect your data very few as possible from you.
These are some changes you’ve to do with your account:
- Remove your profile picture on WhatsApp
- Blank your WhatsApp status
- Do not use your original name in WhatsApp
- Use a VPN while using WhatsApp
If you’d these changes, WhatsApp will still be able to see your hardware model, device OS, battery level, signal strength, time zone, and contact details. And, will not be able to collect your profile picture, IP address, profile picture, name, and status. However, I would suggest using another messaging platform like Signal or Telegram and leaving WhatsApp as soon as possible.
I hope you like this article about ‘how to secure yourself from new WhatsApp privacy policy 2021’. If you’ve any questions or queries regarding this article or the new WhatsApp privacy policy, ask me in the comment section. Also, follow us on social media platforms for the latest technology and app updates.
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