Over the past week, we’ve seen a lot of talk about people moving their messaging platform from WhatsApp to Signal as a result of a change in privacy policy. People were concerned that WhatsApp was starting to channel data to its parent company, Facebook.
There were subsequent clarifications, but the damage was done.
But what data do these apps have about you? This seems like a good place to start when comparing services.
Besides that: Cybersecurity 101: Protect your privacy from hackers, spies and the government
And fortunately, Apple has made it easier for us by requiring companies to publish their privacy policies and make it clear what they do with their data.
So, let’s take a look at the information that this gives us about WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. And for a little perspective, let’s also look at Facebook.
Data linked to you – The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Developer advertising or marketing
Identifiers
Usage data
Analytics
Shopping
Location
Contact Information
User Content
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Product Customization
User Content
Application functionality
Shopping
Financial Information
Location
Contact Information
- Email address
- Phone number
Contacts
User Content
- Customer support
- Other User Content
Identifiers
Usage data
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other Purposes
Contact Information
Identifiers
Usage data
Signal
Data not linked to you: The following data, which may be collected but is not linked to your identity, can be used for the following purposes:
Application functionality
Contact Information
Telegram
Data linked to you – The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Application functionality
Contact Information
Contacts
Identifiers
Data used to track you – The following data can be used to track you on applications and websites owned by other companies:
Other data
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
Identifiers
Data linked to you – The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Third Party Advertising
Shopping
Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Photos or videos
- Game content
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data
Developer advertising or marketing
Shopping
Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Photos or videos
- Game content
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data
Analytics
Cheers
Shopping
Financial Information
- Payment Information
- Other Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Photos or videos
- Audio Data
- Game content
- Customer support
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Sensitive Information
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data
Product Customization
Shopping
Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Photos or videos
- Game content
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Sensitive Information
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data
Application functionality
Cheers
Shopping
Financial Information
- Payment Information
- Credit Information
- Other Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Emails or text messages
- Photos or videos
- Audio Data
- Game content
- Customer support
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Sensitive Information
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data
Other Purposes
Shopping
Financial Information
Location
- Accurate location
- Approximate location
Contact Information
- Physical address
- Email address
- Name
- Phone number
- Other user contact information
Contacts
User Content
- Photos or videos
- Game content
- Customer support
- Other User Content
Search history
Browsing history
Identifiers
Usage data
- Product interaction
- Advertising Data
- Other usage data
Diagnosis
- Crash Data
- Performance data
- Other Diagnostic Data
Other data