Here's how to check the data WhatsApp has on you
Today, WhatsApp dominates as one of the most famous messaging platforms in the world offering audio/video calling capabilities. The service hosts over 1.5 billion users (200 million from India) and no other web-based messaging app matches its user-base. However, just like all other platforms, even WhatsApp mines data from its users. Here's how you can check what it has on you.
WhatsApp collects data from users
Just like all other Facebook-owned products, WhatsApp collects data from the activity of its users. Now, the company says its chats are end-to-end encrypted and nobody, not even itself, can see what you're talking about. However, apart from the messages and media being exchanged, the company does collect information related to your WhatsApp account and contacts.
Thankfully, there's a way to check collected information
Last year, in the wake of Cambridge Analytica scandal and European GDPR data privacy rules coming into force, Facebook introduced an option in WhatsApp, one that allows any user of the service to download and see what information the platform has on them.
Here's how you can check information collected by WhatsApp
To check what information WhatsApp has on you, open the messaging app and tap on the three-dotted button on the top. From there, head over to 'Settings' and tap on the 'Account' button. Here, you will find a 'Request account info' option which lets you request a report of all the information WhatsApp has on you, including details of your contacts, profile pictures, groups.
The report will be prepped in three days
Once you've tapped on the 'Request Report' button in the 'Request Account Info' section, the service will start preparing the report. WhatsApp says the process could roughly take three days, but once it's ready, you get a notification to download the report. This option would be available from the 'Request Account Info' section, allowing you to download the report, view or export it.
Don't make account changes
If you'll make any change to your account (like changing number or handset) when the report is being prepared, the request for information would be canceled automatically and you'll have to start from the scratch. Also, the report won't include your messages.
And, the report will be deleted after 30 days
Once the report is ready, you have 30 days to download the ZIP report of your data before it is deleted from WhatsApp's servers. The ZIP will contain an easily readable HTML file and a JSON, which you will have to port to another app. Now, you can go through everything WhatsApp has collected from your account and then delete or save it accordingly.
