Hold up! Whatsapp wants to share our phone numbers with Facebook

Is it just us or are you getting sick of all the link ups and sneaky changes in policy when it comes to our social media platforms?!

In news announced today, Whatsapp has revealed it will now share your phone number with Facebook, in order for you to 'make better connections'. 

Whatsapp updated its privacy policy – without giving us much notice – and for the first time, it will give Facebook permission to connect the two accounts together.

The new Whatsapp policy is FOUR years in the making, and it claims that the move means Facebook will have more data on its users, and will be better able to match friends.

In a statement, the messaging app said: "By coordinating more with Facebook, we'll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on Whatsapp.

"By connecting your phone number with Facebook's systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them.

"For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you've never heard of."

The new policy has sparked concern from users of both sites, with the fear that their number will be leaked online, however, both platforms promise that's not the case.

"We won't post or share your Whatsapp number with others, including on Facebook, and we still won't sell, share, or give your phone number to advertisers."

But most worrying of all, this is NOT an option. You can't decide whether you want your number shared or not, as Whatsapp will just automatically do it.

"This allows us to do things like improve our app's performance and better coordinate," the statement said.

If you do not agree with the new policy, you cannot use the app.

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