A messaging application that enables users to send text messages, voice messages, photos, videos, and documents over internet connections, as well as make voice and video calls. The platform uses end-to-end encryption for communications and serves billions of users globally for personal and business messaging. Policy changes affect user privacy rights, data sharing practices with parent company Meta, and terms governing message storage and account usage.

2 Documents
44 All provisions 13 High severity 28 Medium severity 3 Low severity
15 Changes · 12 mo 1 high
Jun 9, 2026 Last change

High — provisions that significantly limit your legal rights, authorize broad data collection, or create material financial exposure. Medium — provisions worth knowing about but with partial protections or limited scope. Low — standard terms with minimal consumer impact.

Governance Coverage
Data Sharing
12 provisions · 8 high · 4 med
Privacy Rights
12 provisions · 11 med
Data Collection
6 provisions · 1 high · 5 med
Data Retention
3 provisions · 3 med
Platform Discretion
2 provisions · 2 med
Arbitration
2 provisions · 2 high
Enforcement Actions
1 provision · 1 med
Intellectual Property
1 provision · 1 med
Data Usage
1 provision · 1 med
Liability Limitation
1 provision · 1 med
Quick Facts
Arbitration: Mandatory
Data Retention: Specified
Class Action: Waived
Key Governance Provisions
High Meta Companies Data Sharing

The policy authorizes broad data sharing across the entire Meta family, meaning information you generate on WhatsApp may inform advertising and content personalization on Facebook and Instagram even …

High Mandatory Individual Arbitration and Class Action Waiver

This provision requires US users to waive their right to participate in class action litigation against WhatsApp, which may limit practical remedies for widespread harms where individual claims are t…

High Meta Data Sharing Authorization

This provision connects WhatsApp user data to Meta's broader advertising and analytics infrastructure, meaning information about your WhatsApp activity may inform experiences on Facebook or Instagram…

High Contact List Upload and Processing of Non-Users

The clause establishes the operational mechanism by which WhatsApp obtains contact list data and allocates responsibility to users for ensuring they have authorization to share third-party phone numb…

High Intra-Meta Data Sharing for Advertising and Business Products

This provision establishes the operational framework for information flow within the Meta corporate family, enabling cross-company data utilization for specified business and safety functions. The au…

Document Coverage
Privacypolicy Termsofservice
Last change detected: Jun 9, 2026 Changes (12 months): 15 (1 high) Documents monitored: 2 Provisions tracked: 44
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Documents

WhatsApp Privacy Policy

Medium

This document establishes WhatsApp's data collection, use, and sharing practices, including the categories of personal information processed and the mechanisms through which data flows to Meta Companies. The policy authorizes …

Last updated May 5, 2026 · Privacy policy
10 provisions 13 versions captured 2 significant changes Version history →

WhatsApp Terms of Service

High

This document establishes the terms of service for WhatsApp, a messaging and communications platform operated by Meta. The agreement authorizes WhatsApp to collect and process phone numbers, contacts lists, usage …

Last updated May 5, 2026 · Terms of service
8 provisions 5 versions captured 1 significant change Version history →

Recent Changes

June 5, 2026 · WhatsApp Privacy Policy Medium

WhatsApp removed language stating it has no intention to introduce ads in Status and Channels, replacing it with a more conditional statement that reserves the right to introduce ads in …

View change record →
May 12, 2026 · WhatsApp Terms of Service High

Meta offered rival AI chatbots one month of free access to WhatsApp while negotiating with EU regulators. This follows an outright ban on third-party AI chatbots in January, a paid-access …

View change record →
April 19, 2026 · WhatsApp Privacy Policy Medium

WhatsApp modified two sections of its Privacy Policy on April 19, 2026. First, the policy changed language about advertising on the platform, removing a statement that WhatsApp had 'no intention' …

View change record →
📈 Policy Drift Analysis View all changes →

Low Severity Provisions (0)

No provisions found.

View all high severity provisions → Compare WhatsApp with other platforms →

Applicable Regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
View official text ↗
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
View official text ↗
CFAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
View official text ↗
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
View official text ↗
DMA
European Union
View official text ↗
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
View official text ↗
FAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
View official text ↗
GDPR
European Union
View official text ↗
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
View official text ↗
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
View official text ↗
Texas AI Act
Texas, USA
View official text ↗
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
View official text ↗
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
View official text ↗
VPPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗

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Frequently Asked Questions

What WhatsApp documents does ConductAtlas track?

ConductAtlas tracks 2 WhatsApp documents including terms of service, privacy policy, and other governance documents. Every document is captured daily with cryptographic verification.

How many policy changes has WhatsApp made in the past year?

WhatsApp has made 15 policy changes in the past 12 months across the documents ConductAtlas tracks, including 1 classified as high severity.

How many provisions has ConductAtlas classified for WhatsApp?

ConductAtlas has classified 44 provisions across WhatsApp's tracked documents. 13 are rated high severity, 28 medium, and 3 low.

Can I get alerts when WhatsApp changes their policies?

Yes. Monitor subscribers ($19/month) can add WhatsApp to their watchlist and receive same-day email alerts whenever any tracked document changes.