Does WhatsApp collect or sell your data?
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From everyday conversations to confidential information, your personal chats are end-to-end encrypted. No one outside of these chats, not even WhatsApp, can read, hear, or share your personal messages. Questions like “What data does WhatsApp collect?”, “Does WhatsApp share my data with Meta?”, and “What happens with backup chats?” come up often. Let’s break them down:
Every personal message, call, media, voice message, or document you send on WhatsApp is private and protected with end-to-end encryption by default. That means all your personal messages stay between you and who you send them to—no one else, not even WhatsApp (or Meta), can read, listen to, or share them.
End-to-end encryption is the foundation of your privacy on WhatsApp.
What data does WhatsApp collect?
To work properly, WhatsApp collects some limited information about you. When we say 'information', we mean information that could be used to personally identify you, like your name or phone number. This also includes other information that could be linked to you. This is how we collect information:
- You provide the information to us. For example, you must provide your phone number when you sign up for WhatsApp.
- When you use WhatsApp, we automatically collect technical information. For example, we need details about your internet connection in order to send messages.
- Other WhatsApp users provide information about you. For example, your friends and family may add you as a WhatsApp contact.
To learn more about how WhatsApp collects and uses your information, take a look at our Privacy at a Glance.
WhatsApp is part of Meta, and we work with other Meta Companies to help provide, improve and support each other's services. If you choose to integrate your WhatsApp experience with other Meta products, we will share some information with Meta to make this possible. For example, you can choose to share your WhatsApp status updates to Facebook.
Choose the right level of protection for you
WhatsApp privacy checkup allows you to access step-by-step guidance to help strengthen the security of your account and customize your privacy settings in one place. To manage your privacy settings:
- Tap Settings > Privacy.
- Choose who can see your info: Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except…, or Nobody.
You can also decide who can add you to groups, enable disappearing messages, and turn on features like chat lock or app lock for extra security.
What happens when you back up your chats?
You can add an extra layer of privacy to your chat backups with end-to-end encryption. When turned on, your messages and media are stored securely in iCloud or your Google Account, protected by a password or a 64-digit encryption key.
Keep in mind: If you lose your password or key—and can’t access your WhatsApp—you won’t be able to restore your backup. Not even WhatsApp can help recover it.
Learn everything you need to know about how to back up your chat history.
