WhatsApp has long been a haven without flashing ad banners - but that seems to be coming to an end soon. In the USA, Meta is already testing adverts in the so-called ‘Status’ area of the app. And similar steps are also likely to be imminent for Germany. Important: The adverts will (initially) not appear in personal chats, but only where users post content such as stories - under ‘News’.
It is still unclear when exactly German users can expect to see adverts, but one thing is clear: Meta wants to turn WhatsApp into a more profitable product. To do this, the platform will probably focus more on personalised content - and this will also bring the issue of data protection into focus. Anyone who has linked WhatsApp with Facebook or Instagram provides the company with an entire data set - from location to language settings. Although the content of private conversations remains taboo thanks to end-to-end encryption, user behaviour outside of chats is worth its weight in gold for advertising purposes.
The European union is now keeping a much closer eye on companies that violate data protection laws. Nevertheless, there will probably not be a simple switch-off switch for advertising. If you want to disclose as little data as possible, you will have to take an active role yourself - for example via the Meta Account Centre, where services can be decoupled. Alternatively, the only option is to interact as little as possible with adverts.
Nevertheless, adverts are clearly marked as such and users can see why they are seeing certain adverts. How far personalisation will ultimately go depends heavily on how much you let Meta know about you.
Source: https://www.dr-datenschutz.de