The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has advised Nigerians to limit sharing sensitive personal and confidential information on WhatsApp.
Disclosing this in a public advisory titled WhatsApp Privacy Policy Changes: Implication For Nigerian Users, the agency said WhatsApp shares its users’ information such as; account registration information, details on how users interact with others, mobile device information, Internet Protocol address, location data etc.
“As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, the other Facebook Companies. We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings, including the Facebook Company Products…”
The agency thereby advises that:
1) Nigerians may wish to note that there are other available platforms with similar functionalities which they may wish to explore. Choice of platform should consider data sharing practices, privacy, ease of use among others; and
2) Limit the sharing of sensitive personal information on private messaging and social media platforms as the initial promise of privacy and security is now being overridden on the bases of business exigency.
