Privacy and security
Who owns WhatsApp, and what that ownership actually means for you
Meta Platforms has owned WhatsApp since 2014, when Facebook paid about $19 billion for it. Here is how that happened and what changed for users afterwards.
WhatsApp privacy and security
WhatsApp's privacy story is easy to get wrong in both directions. People assume end-to-end encryption means nobody can ever read anything, or they assume Meta ownership means everything is an open book. Neither is true, and the gap between them is where most of the confusion lives.
The articles in this section separate three different things that get lumped together: what is encrypted in transit, what metadata WhatsApp keeps regardless, and what other users can see about you because of a setting you have never opened. Those are three separate questions with three separate answers, and only the third one is fully under your control.
Where the evidence is thin — and on a few of these questions it genuinely is, because WhatsApp does not publish everything — we say so rather than guessing.
Articles in this topic
8 articles
Privacy and security
Does WhatsApp show your phone number, and to exactly whom?
Your number is your WhatsApp account, so anyone you message can see it. Here is precisely who sees it in chats, groups, communities and business accounts.
Privacy and security
Can WhatsApp be hacked? What is actually possible, and what is marketing
Almost every 'WhatsApp hacking' claim is false. Here is what can genuinely compromise an account, how to spot it, and how to lock the account down.
Privacy and security
How to hide your phone number on WhatsApp — and what you actually can hide
You cannot hide your number from someone you message, but you can control almost everything else. Here is what works, what does not, and the second-number option.
Privacy and security
Is WhatsApp safe for sending private photos?
Encryption protects the photo in transit. It does nothing about backups, screenshots or the person receiving it — which is where the real risk sits.
Privacy and security
How to see your blocked numbers on WhatsApp, and what blocking does
Your block list is at Settings → Privacy → Blocked contacts. Here is what blocking hides, what it does not, and what happens when you unblock.
Privacy and security
How to remove WhatsApp from Facebook, and what it actually achieves
You can unlink WhatsApp from a Meta Accounts Center in a few taps. Here is how, and an honest account of what that does and does not stop.
Privacy and security
What WhatsApp is used for in dating, and the risk nobody mentions
Moving a dating match to WhatsApp hands over your phone number permanently. Here is what that means and how the romance-scam pattern works.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp end-to-end encrypted by default?
Yes. Personal messages, calls, media and status updates are end-to-end encrypted by default and have been since 2016. You do not switch it on. The encryption covers the message in transit between devices; it does not cover a screenshot, a device someone else has unlocked, or a backup you have chosen not to encrypt.
Can Meta read my WhatsApp messages?
Not the content of personal messages. Meta can see metadata — your phone number, who you message and when, your device and IP details, and your profile information. That is a meaningful amount of information even without message content.
Does using WhatsApp expose my phone number to strangers?
To anyone you message, yes, always — the number is the account identifier and cannot be hidden from a chat participant. In groups, every member can see it. This is the single most common privacy surprise on the platform.
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