WhatsApp sharing your payments data with third-party including Facebook?

New Delhi: Launch of new services like payments over instant messaging app WhatsApp may ensure more smoother and hassle free transactions, but have you realised that your details may be shared with a third-party including Facebook? WhatsApp said that it receives information when the messaging app provides Payments services to users. Under the India Payments Privacy Policy, WhatsApp writes, that it shares user data with third-Party Providers and Services.

"We share information with third-party providers and services to help us operate and improve Payments. To send payment instructions to PSPs, maintain your transaction history, provide customer support, and keep our Services safe and secure, including to detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, safety, security, abuse, or other misconduct, we share information we collect under this Payments Privacy Policy with third-party service providers including Facebook. To provide Payments to you, we share information with third-party services including PSPs, such as your mobile phone number, registration information, device identifiers, VPAs, the sender's UPI PIN, and payment amount," WhatsApp in a privacy policy clause has written.

WhatsApp has your registration information

The Facebook-owned app has written, “When you register to use Payments, you provide your bank's name, partial debit card number, and debit card expiration date. You will also be asked to provide your ATM PIN or UPI PIN, or to set up an UPI PIN for payment transactions if you do not already have one. We receive your debit card details and ATM PIN or UPI PIN securely, and we do not retain this information.”

Whatsapp is the most popular instant messaging app in the country with over 220 million subscribers. There are other players like Google Tez and Truecaller which are also offering UPI-based payment services.

Facebook has admitted it may have "improperly shared" the personal data of up to 2.7 million people in the European Union, the bloc had announced last weeek. Facebook's data breach has sent the company into turmoil and raised questions about data protection for the entire tech sector. The recent incidents of breach has also once again highlighted the need for safety of personal data.