Facebook wants to analyse encrypted WhatsApp messages for ads: Report

Facebook-owned WhatsApp earlier this year tweaked its user privacy policy for the messenger app. It asked users to accept the new terms and conditions that would allow the company to track transactions and other exchange of messages between an individual user and business enterprise owners on messenger. Also, it reserved the right to share the information with the parent company (Facebook) and sister firms (Instagram and others) for targeted ads.

Now, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company has hired a team of experts to look into the possibility of reading encrypted messages on WhatsApp without harming user privacy policy to send targeted ads, according to a report in The Information.

Experts are betting on homomorphic encryption, which allows big companies to data-mine personal information including medical records and financial data while ensuring the information is well protected from any cybersecurity threats.

With homomorphic encryption, companies will not know the person's identity; instead, they will be marked as random code, and based on the information, targeted ads will be delivered.

It is no surprise that Facebook wants to use this technology to monetise WhatsApp as it bought the messenger company for $19 billion.

As mentioned before, it has already set the ball rolling with a new user privacy policy for WhatsApp Business. Though WhatsApp has stalled and pushed back the deadline for customers to accept the terms, it has told media that the company will try to convince users that the new policy will not harm an individual's privacy.

FB also stated that the message, videos, and audio exchanged with two private individuals are fully encrypted.

But, now, the report of Facebook thinking of using homomorphic encryption technique to glean over the private persons' messages will certainly evoke strong objections from the customers. This is certain to convince more people to move to alternative platforms such as Telegram and Signal.

Soon after the report made headlines, Facebook denied the allegation and told the publication "It is too early for us to consider homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp at this time."

Facebook did not completely rule out the possibility of using the homomorphic encryption ever, indicating it may think of using the tech later in the future.

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