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Reports suggest WhatsApp to show ads in chats, WhatsApp declines
Nearly 10 years after Meta (then Facebook) bought WhatsApp and promised that the chat would never have ads, the company is reportedly working to introduce advertising into WhatsApp chats. However, WhatsApp director Will Cathcart also called the report false.
Will it do it or not? That's been a question since 2014, when Meta (then Facebook) acquired WhatsApp. Given how aggressive Facebook and Instagram were in monetizing user data, it was feared that ads would soon arrive on WhatsApp. But even as WhatsApp and Facebook concluded their agreement, the two companies' management categorically said that WhatsApp will never have ads and chat or user data will not be used for tracking and monetization. A report says that this could be changing almost a decade later.
The Financial Times, citing a discussion with the WhatsApp and Meta team, notes that there has been talk about monetizing WhatsApp chats by showing ads. Given the explosive nature of the report, which, if true, would mean that Facebook and WhatsApp are reneging on a promise they previously made to users, WhatsApp was quick to refute it. Will Cathcart, who runs the WhatsApp team, tweeted: "This @FT story is false. We aren't doing this. Also, it looks like you misspelled Brian's name."
The news report previously noted that Meta teams are discussing the possibility of adding ads to WhatsApp chat screens to increase revenue. However, a clear decision has yet to be made, as Meta employees are debating whether this would raise concerns and potentially drive away users. The report also mentions that Meta is considering introducing a subscription fee for an ad-free WhatsApp experience, but many experts oppose this idea.
The report noted that if ad integration is enabled, WhatsApp's interface would resemble how ads are placed between conversations in Facebook Messenger and emails in Gmail. While ads in WhatsApp chats don't seem likely, privacy-conscious users would say that WhatsApp has taken a step back from its promise in 2014. A few years earlier, Facebook decided to link metadata, including Telephone numbers. , of WhatsApp users with Facebook users. While this may have few implications for serving WhatsApp ads, Facebook could use the data to profile users and show them ads on Facebook and Instagram. The move attracted the attention of government regulators, including in India.
