Which personal details of users are collecting instant messaging apps

WhatsApp’s new privacy policy has upset people. But how much data does it collect compared to other messaging apps like Signal, Telegram and Facebook Messenger? If you are thinking the same then let us know that the new policy shows that WhatsApp collects a lot of your data. Apps owned by Facebook (Messenger and WhatsApp) collect information about your data and location unlike other apps. Whereas, Signal feels the most private and secure messaging app as compared to them and according to the privacy details highlighted on the App Store, this app does not collect any type of user data. Perhaps this may be the reason why, Facebook had long ago criticized Apple’s move to show the privacy label.

The information available on the App Store suggests that Facebook Messenger collects the most data after WhatsApp when it comes to collecting data. The user data collected by both the apps includes the users’ purchase history, financial information, location information, contacts, phone numbers, email IDs and usage data. Let us know that WhatsApp is currently being used by more than 400 million people in India.

Below we are giving you the information of the user data collected by WhatsApp, Signal, Facebook Messenger and Telegram.

WhatsApp

• Device ID
• User ID
• Advertising Data
• Purchase History
• Coarse Location
• Phone number
• Email Address
• Contacts
• Product Interaction
• Crash Data
• Performance data
• Other Diagnostic Data
• Payment Info
• Customer Support
• Product Interaction
• Other User Content

Facebook messenger

• Purchase History
• Other Financial Info
• Precise Location
• Coarse Location
• Physical Address
• Email Address
• Name
• Phone number
• Other User Contact Info
• Contacts
• Photos or Videos
• Gameplay Content
• Other User Content
• Search History
• Browsing History
• User ID
• Device ID
• Product Interaction
• Advertising Data
• Other Usage Data
• Crash Data
• Performance data
• Other Diagnostic Data
• Other Data Types
• Browsing History
• Health
• Fitness
• Payment Info
• Photos or Videos
• Audio data
• Gameplay Content
• Customer Support
• Other User Content
• Search History
• Sensitive Info
• iMessage
• Email address
• Phone number search history
• Device ID

Telegram

• Contact Info
• Contacts
• User ID

Signal

• no data. (Signal app only stores your phone number and the app does not link this phone number to your identity)

Let us know that the developers themselves submit the information of the apps on the Apple App Store. But still, companies including Facebook keep many such information in their long privacy policy which is not read by their users in large numbers.