WhatsApp Considers Showing Ads Alongside List of Conversations in Chat Screen: Report

Teams at Meta have been discussing whether to show ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, but no final decisions have been made, the report said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Meta is also deliberating whether to charge a subscription fee to use the app ad-free, the report said, adding that many company insiders were against the move.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In June, Meta gave employees a sneak peek at a series of AI tools it was building, including ChatGPT-like chatbots planned for Messenger and WhatsApp that could converse using different personas.

In March, WhatsApp agreed to be more transparent about changes to its privacy policy introduced in 2021, following complaints from consumer bodies across Europe.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European Network of consumer authorities told WhatsApp last year that it had not clarified the changes in plain and intelligible language, violating the bloc’s laws.

WhatsApp agreed to explain changes to EU users’ contracts and how these could affect their rights, and agreed to display prominently the possibility for users to accept or reject the changes and ensure that users can easily close pop-up notifications on updates.

The company also confirmed that users’ personal data is not shared with third parties or other Meta companies, including Facebook, for advertising purposes.

“Consumers have a right to understand what they agree to and what that choice entails concretely, so that they can decide whether they want to continue using the platform,” Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders had said at the time.

© Thomson Reuters 2023