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Oh no... The new thing everyone was dreading is coming to WhatsApp

Oh no... The new thing everyone was dreading is coming to WhatsApp

But before you cry foul and look for an alternative, this news, while significant, is more nuanced than it seems. Your private chats with loved ones, your family's vacation photos, and your video calls will, for now, remain safe from commercial banners. The offensive will focus exclusively on the News tab, the section that houses Statuses (ephemeral stories) and Broadcast Channels. A space that, quite frankly, is viewed every day by 1.5 billion people, a colossal audience that Meta could no longer ignore.

Concretely, monetization will take three forms, as WhatsApp explains on its blog. Expect to see ads for companies appear between two of your contacts' statuses. A model that Instagram users already know by heart.

When browsing the catalog of channels to follow, some will be highlighted for a fee. A boon for creators and brands looking to gain visibility. Finally, the most loyal fans will be able to support a channel via a monthly subscription, in exchange for exclusive content. A sort of Patreon, Mym, or OnlyFans directly integrated into WhatsApp.

Meta's big promise: respect for your privacy

Faced with the predictable outcry, Meta is pulling out all the stops to reassure and insist that confidentiality, WhatsApp's DNA, remains the priority. Nikila Srinivasan, Meta's vice president, is categorical: "Your personal messages, calls, and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. No one, not even us, can see or listen to them. They will never be used for advertising."

So, how will targeting work? WhatsApp will use so-called "limited" information such as your country or city, your phone's language, and most importantly, the channels you follow and your interactions with the ads themselves. For those who have linked their WhatsApp account to Meta's Account Space, Facebook and Instagram's ad preferences will also come into play.

The company promises to never sell your phone number and that the content of your groups or calls will remain a secret garden.

The end of innocence

For the user who never opens the News tab, nothing will change. For others, the experience will be subtly altered. While we can applaud Meta's effort not to pollute the sacred space of personal discussions, it's hard not to see it as a first step. This turning point, justified by the desire to "help businesses grow," marks the end of a certain innocence for WhatsApp. The adage "if it's free, you're the product" has never seemed so true. It remains to be seen whether this advertising incursion, contained for the moment, isn't the Trojan horse that will eventually open the floodgates to the rest of the application. The rollout schedule remains unclear, and the messaging specifies that it will be done gradually worldwide.

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