WhatsApp's Data Collection Policy: Categories of Information Gathered
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 7:28 am
WhatsApp's publicly available Privacy Policy (reflecting its current stance in 2025) details the types of information it collects. These categories are broad and encompass various aspects of user interaction with the service.
Account Information:
Phone Number: Mandatory for registration and account identification.
Profile Information: Your chosen profile name, profile picture (optional), and "About" information (status message, optional). These are visible to other users based on your privacy settings.
Registration Date: When your account was created.
Your Connections (Contact List):
With your permission, WhatsApp accesses your device's address book. It uploads sweden phone number list these phone numbers to its servers in a cryptographically hashed format (meaning the raw numbers are disguised) to identify which of your contacts are also WhatsApp users.
WhatsApp explicitly states it does not store your unhashed contact lists with Meta or share them for Meta's own purposes (like direct ad targeting on Facebook/Instagram based on your contact list). The processing is solely for helping you connect with other WhatsApp users.
Account Information:
Phone Number: Mandatory for registration and account identification.
Profile Information: Your chosen profile name, profile picture (optional), and "About" information (status message, optional). These are visible to other users based on your privacy settings.
Registration Date: When your account was created.
Your Connections (Contact List):
With your permission, WhatsApp accesses your device's address book. It uploads sweden phone number list these phone numbers to its servers in a cryptographically hashed format (meaning the raw numbers are disguised) to identify which of your contacts are also WhatsApp users.
WhatsApp explicitly states it does not store your unhashed contact lists with Meta or share them for Meta's own purposes (like direct ad targeting on Facebook/Instagram based on your contact list). The processing is solely for helping you connect with other WhatsApp users.