![](https://scontent.whatsapp.net/v/t39.8562-34/148233257_844555123054656_6010499635442235387_n.png?ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=73b08c&_nc_ohc=VCBQNR4kX2wQ7kNvgGikCSh&_nc_ht=scontent.whatsapp.net&oh=01_Q5AaIHWXnwF1pMZMQNk58kCCx9q2ApV-0ozkKo9L6_IGjCyR&oe=66E2C201)
Last updated: 16 February 2024 (archived versions)
Table of Contents
If you live in the UK, WhatsApp LLC provides the Services to you under this Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
If you live outside the UK or European Region, WhatsApp LLC provides the Services to you under this Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
We’ve updated our Privacy Policy in line with new EU regulations. We’ve also made changes to our international data transfer mechanisms and changes to ensure a consistent minimum age requirement for WhatsApp globally. These updates include:
As always, your personal messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted. No one else, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen to them.
If you live in the European Region, WhatsApp Ireland Limited ("WhatsApp," "our," "we," or "us") provides our Services to you under the Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy.
Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA. Since we started WhatsApp, we've aspired to build our Services with a set of strong privacy principles in mind.
We are one of the Meta Companies. Our Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") explains our data practices, including the information we process to provide our Services.
For example, our Privacy Policy talks about what information we collect and how this affects you. It also explains the steps we take to protect your privacy, like building our Services so delivered messages aren't stored by us and giving you control over who you communicate with on our Services.
This Privacy Policy applies to all of our Services unless specified otherwise. Some products or features that we offer have supplemental privacy policies which supplement this WhatsApp Privacy Policy: Channels Supplemental Privacy Policy. If you are a user of another messaging service that is interoperable with WhatsApp under Article 7 of the Digital Markets Act, then this notice applies to you for the limited processing activities that enable interoperable messaging.
Please also read WhatsApp's Terms of Service ("Terms"), which describe the terms under which you use and we provide our Services.
The types of information we receive and collect depend on how you use our Services. We require certain of Your Account Information in accordance with our Terms to deliver our Services and without this we will not be able to provide our Services to you. For example, you must provide your mobile phone number to create an account to use our Services.
Our Services have optional features which, if used by you, require us to collect additional information to provide such features. You will be notified of such a collection, as appropriate. If you choose not to provide the information needed to use a feature, you will be unable to use the feature. For example, you cannot share your Precise Location Information with your contacts if you do not enable location sharing on your device. Permissions can be managed through your device-based settings on both Android and iOS devices.
As always, your personal messages and calls remain end-to-end encrypted. No one else, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen to them.
You share your information as you use and communicate through our Services, and we share your information to help us operate, provide, improve, understand, customise and support our Services.
Please also see the How We Work With Other Meta Companies and Working with Authorities, Advisors and Industry Partners sections for further information we share.
WhatsApp is one of the Meta Companies. The Meta Companies provide technology products and services for both individuals and businesses.
We work with other Meta Companies that act as our service providers and help us provide and improve our Services. When Meta Companies act as our service providers, we require them to use your information on our behalf in accordance with our instructions and terms.
If you would like further details about the Meta Companies that currently act as our service providers, please click here.
Under applicable data protection law in the European Region (such as the GDPR), companies must have a legal basis to process information. We rely on different legal bases to process your information for the various purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
For each legal basis below, we describe the purposes of our processing (why we process your information) and our processing operations (how we process your information to achieve each purpose). We also list the categories of your information that we process for each purpose.
You also have particular rights available to you depending on which legal basis we use, and we've explained these below. You should know that no matter what legal basis applies, you always have the right to request access to, rectification of, and erasure of your information. To exercise your rights, see the How To Exercise Your Rights section.
Information that we process to convey your messages or calls (which includes information like your phone number, the time and date you make a call or send a message, or the duration of your calls) is subject to and handled in accordance with the specific rules and requirements under the EU Directive 2002/58/EC, where applicable.
For all users who have the legal capacity to enter into an enforceable contract (for example, by being the age of majority or above in their country of residence), we process information as necessary to conclude and perform our contract with you, our Terms.
The categories of information used and why and how they are processed, are set out below:
Why And How We Process Your Information | Information Categories Used |
To operate, provide, customise, and support our Services as described in the About Our Services section of our Terms which includes providing ways for you to connect and communicate with other WhatsApp users including businesses, WhatsApp: | |
Assists you in creating and managing your WhatsApp account by:
| To assist you in creating and managing your WhatsApp account: |
Facilitates you using and managing your WhatsApp account on multiple devices by:
| For linking a device to your account:
For syncing your Account Information and User Choices across your devices:
For syncing your chat history across your devices:
|
To send and receive end-to-end encrypted messages and broadcast your Status, we:
| To send and receive end-to-end encrypted messages and to broadcast your Status:
For showing your presence (in one-to-one chats) and last seen:
For showing your activity indicators:
For sharing your Status:
|
To generally operate and provide our Services, we:
| To generally operate and provide our Services: |
To enable you to connect with businesses, we:
| To enable you to connect with businesses: |
For making, receiving, joining or leaving voice and video calls, we:
When you change your in-app settings or take certain actions in a call, we let the other call participant(s) know the following:
To optimise call quality, we:
| For making, receiving, joining or leaving voice and video calls:
For notifying call participants about changes during a call: For optimising call quality: |
To help you discover if your contacts are WhatsApp users when you choose to sync your device’s address book using contact upload, we:
| To enable you to use contact upload: |
To allow you to create, join, leave and connect in communities and groups to communicate with multiple contacts at the same time, we:
| For creating a group or community:
For administering active groups or communities: |
Assists you to create backups of your chat history (and media within the chat history), when you request it by:
| For allowing you to create, access and restore backups and encrypted backups:
|
To ensure safety, security, and integrity of our Services. We use information we have and apply automated data processing techniques and, in some instances, conduct manual (human) review to:
| To ensure the safety, security and integrity of our Services:
|
Transfer, store or process your information outside the European Economic Area. As the WhatsApp service operates globally, with users and businesses around the world, we need to share information we collect globally, both internally within the Meta Companies and where the data centers we rely on are located and externally with our Third-Party Service Providers. We carry out necessary transfers outside the European Economic Area, including to the United States and other countries to:
For more information, see Transferring information outside the EEA as part of Our Global Operations section below. | To operate and provide our Services:
|
Communicate with you on Services-related issues, we:
| For sending you notifications or updates about our Services:
|
Provide customer support by:
| For providing you with customer support: |
When we process information you provide to us as necessary to perform our contractual relationship with you, under applicable data protection laws you have the right to port it. To exercise your rights, visit the How To Exercise Your Rights section of this Privacy Policy.
The other legal bases we rely on when processing your information and the circumstances in which we rely on them are set out below:
We process information for the purposes described below when you have given us your consent to enable particular product features in your device-based settings. The categories of information used and why and how it’s processed are set out below:
Why And How We Process Your Information | Information Categories Used |
For collecting information through the device-based settings which you have enabled, for example:
|
When we process your information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on such consent before the consent is withdrawn. To exercise your rights, visit your device-based settings, your in-app settings like your live location control, and the How To Exercise Your Rights section of this Privacy Policy.
We process information to comply with a legal obligation including, for example, to access, preserve or disclose certain information if there is a valid legal request. Examples of Irish and EU laws that could give rise to a legal obligation requiring us to process information are set out below. New laws may be enacted or other obligations may become binding on our processing and we will update the list of laws from time to time.
Why And How We Process Your Information | Information Categories Used |
For processing information when we comply with a legal obligation including, for example, to access, preserve or disclose certain information if there is a valid legal request from a regulator, law enforcement or others or to implement appropriate security measures. For example, a search warrant or production order from Irish law enforcement to provide information in relation to an investigation, such as your profile picture or IP address. Examples of Irish and EU laws enforceable in Ireland are laws that could give rise to an obligation requiring us to process information we hold about you are:
See here for the current list of laws which are enforceable in Ireland that give rise to a legal obligation for WhatsApp which results in the processing of information. New laws may be enacted or other obligations may become binding on our processing of your information which may require us to process your information and we will update this list from time to time. |
|
Why And How We Process Your Information | Information Categories Used |
For protecting your vital interests or those of another person. We apply automated processing techniques and conduct manual (human) review. We share information with law enforcement and others, in circumstances where someone’s vital interests require protection, such as in the case of emergencies. These vital interests include protection of your or someone else’s life, physical or mental health, wellbeing or integrity or that of others. In protecting such vital interests we aim to combat harmful conduct and promote safety, integrity and security. For example, we investigate reports of harmful conduct and take appropriate action, such as taking action on user accounts (e.g. banning them) or sharing information with relevant authorities, where there is a risk of imminent harmful conduct such as an attack or where a person’s safety is at risk. We also compare profile pictures, community and group pictures and reported images against a database of known hashed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and use a combination of automated processing techniques and human review to detect previously unknown CSAM in these images. If we detect apparent CSAM, we report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (learn more about how we work to help fight child exploitation here). |
|
We rely on our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third-party, such as our users, where they are not outweighed by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms ("legitimate interests"):
Why And How We Process Your Information | Legitimate Interests Relied On | Information Categories Used | |||
For users under the age of majority (under 18, in most applicable countries) who have a limited ability to enter into an enforceable contract only, where we may be unable to process your information on the grounds of contractual necessity. | |||||
Assisting you in creating and managing your WhatsApp account by:
|
| To assist you in creating and managing your WhatsApp account:: | |||
Facilitates you using and managing your WhatsApp account on multiple devices by:.
|
| For linking a device to your account:
For syncing your Account Information and User Choices across your devices:
For syncing your chat history across your devices: | |||
To send and receive end-to-end encrypted messages and broadcast your Status, we:
|
| To send and receive end-to-end encrypted messages and to broadcast your Status:
For showing your presence (in one-to-one chats) and last seen: For showing your activity indicators:
For sharing your Status: | |||
To generally operate and provide our Services, we:
|
| To generally operate and provide our Services: | |||
To enable you to connect with businesses, we:
|
| To enable you to connect with businesses: | |||
For making, receiving, joining or leaving voice and video calls, we:
When you change your in-app settings or take certain actions in a call, we let the other call participant(s) know the following:
To optimise call quality, we:
|
| For making, receiving, joining or leaving voice and video calls:
For notifying call participants about changes during a call: For optimising call quality: | |||
To help you discover if your contacts are WhatsApp users when you choose to sync your device’s address book using contact upload, we:
To enable you to use contact upload: To allow you to create, join, leave and connect in communities and groups to communicate with multiple contacts at the same time, we:
For creating a group or community:
For administering active groups or communities: | |||||
Assists you to create backups of your chat history (and media within the chat history), when you request it by:
|
| For allowing you to create, access and restore backups and encrypted backups: | |||
To ensure safety, security, and integrity of our Services. We use information we have and apply automated data processing techniques and, in some instances, conduct manual (human) review to:
|
| To ensure the safety, security and integrity of our Services:
| |||
Communicate with you on Services-related issues, we:
|
| For sending you notifications or updates about our Services:
| |||
Provide customer support by:
|
| For providing you with customer support: | |||
For all users of our Services including users under the age of majority: | |||||
Business intelligence and analytics:
|
| ||||
We preserve and share information with others including law enforcement and to respond to legal requests. This includes responding to legal requests where we are not compelled by applicable law but have a good faith belief it is required by law in the relevant jurisdiction or sharing information with law enforcement or industry partners/peers such as other online platforms and technology companies to combat abusive or illegal behaviour. For example, we preserve a snapshot of user information when requested by law enforcement where necessary for the purposes of an investigation. We may also report illegal or infringing content to law enforcement, government or other authorities. |
| The actual information used depends on the factual circumstances, but could include any of the following: | |||
We preserve and share information when we seek legal advice or seek to protect ourselves in the context of litigation and other disputes. This includes matters such as violations of our Terms and policies. |
| The actual information used depends on the factual circumstances, but could include any of the following:
| |||
To promote safety, integrity and security outside of the performance of our contract with you. We use information we have and apply automated data processing techniques and, in some instances, conduct manual (human) review to:
|
| For ensuring the safety, security and integrity of our Services: | |||
To improve the WhatsApp Service by developing new features or updating existing features, we:
|
| ||||
To improve the WhatsApp customer support service, we:
|
|
You have the right to object to, and seek restriction of, this processing. To exercise your rights, visit the How To Exercise Your Rights section of this Privacy Policy.
We still do not allow third-party banner ads on our Services. We have no intention to introduce them, but if we ever do, we will update this Privacy Policy.
Under applicable data protection law, you have the right to access, rectify, port, and erase your information, as well as the right to restrict and object to certain processing of your information.
This includes the right to object to our processing of your information for direct marketing and the right to object to our processing of your information where we are pursuing our legitimate interests or those of a third-party. We will consider several factors when assessing an objection including: your reasonable expectations; the benefits and risks to you, us, other users, third parties; and other available means to achieve the same purpose that may be less invasive and do not require disproportionate effort. Your objection will be upheld, and we will cease processing your information, unless the processing is based on compelling legitimate grounds or is needed for legal reasons.
You have the right to object to and restrict our processing of your information. To submit an objection use this form and select “How can I make an objection to the processing of my information”. Learn more about submitting an objection and the way we use your information by going here. If we use your information for direct marketing, you can always object and opt out of future direct marketing messages using the unsubscribe link in such communications, or by using our in-app "block" feature.
You can access or port your information using our in-app Request Account Info feature (available under Settings > Account). You can access tools to rectify, update, and delete your information directly in-app as described in the Retention of Your Information section.
When we process information you provide to us based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. To withdraw your consent, visit your device-based settings or in-app settings.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with WhatsApp's lead supervisory authority under the GDPR, the Irish Data Protection Commission, or any other competent data protection supervisory authority.
We store information for as long as necessary for the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy, including to provide our Services, or for other legitimate purposes, such as complying with legal obligations, enforcing and preventing violations of our Terms, to fight spam, or protecting or defending our rights, property and users. The storage periods are determined on a case-by-case basis that depends on the following factors:
The actual information that we keep and how long we keep it for depends on the nature of the reason in question.
What Happens To Your Information When Your Account Is Deleted? When you delete your WhatsApp account or when it is deleted as a result of inactivity (see About inactive account deletion for information on inactive accounts), we delete the information we have about you, apart from the information listed below which we retain in limited circumstances.
Deleted Information. Your Account Information and any undelivered messages to you are deleted from our servers. You will be removed from all WhatsApp communities and groups. Note that for technical reasons it takes up to 90 days from the beginning of the deletion process to delete or de-identify your WhatsApp information. Copies of your information may also remain after the 90 days for a limited time in the backup storage that we use to recover lost information in the event of a disaster, software error, or other information loss event.
Information We Retain After Your Account is Deleted.
For more information on how long we store information, see Retention of Your Information.
If you would like to manage, change, limit, or delete your information, you can do that through the following tools:
Be mindful that if you only delete WhatsApp from your device without selecting the in-app delete my account option in your in-app settings, the Information We Collect will be stored on our servers for a longer period. WhatsApp accounts are generally deleted after 120 days of inactivity. Users are not alerted when this occurs. See our Help Center article About inactive account deletion for more information.
Please remember that when your account is deleted, it does not affect your information related to the communities or groups you created (such as community or group names), or the information other users have relating to you, such as their copy of the messages you sent them.
We access and share your information described in the Information We Collect section, including sharing with regulators, law enforcement, other government agencies, industry partners/peers such as other online platforms and technology companies, our advisors such as external lawyers who act for us, and others in accordance with the How and Why We Process Your Information and Our Legal Basis for Processing section if we have a good-faith belief that it is necessary to:
For more information on how we preserve your information for these purposes, please see the Retention of Your Information section.
The processing we carry out will depend on the circumstances. Further information on the different categories of information affected and the legal bases we rely on is set out in the How and Why We Process Your Information and Our Legal Basis for Processing section under the Processing necessary to perform our contract with you, Compliance with a Legal Obligation, Protection of Your Vital Interests or Those of Another Person and Legitimate Interests headings.
Why is information transferred to countries outside of the European Economic Area and where?
WhatsApp shares information described in the Information We Collect section of this Privacy Policy globally, both internally within the Meta Companies, and externally with third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our Terms. This includes places where the data centers we rely on are located, and where our other internal Meta Companies and external Third-Party Service Providers are located (which includes the United States). These transfers are necessary and essential to enable us to provide the Services set forth in our Terms and globally to operate and provide our Services which allow you to communicate with users and businesses on WhatsApp around the world.
How do we safeguard your information?
When information controlled by WhatsApp is transferred or transmitted to, or stored and processed in, the United States or other third countries outside of the European Economic Area, we rely on the following transfer mechanisms:
We may amend or update our Privacy Policy. We will provide you notice of amendments to this Privacy Policy, as appropriate, and update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy from time to time.
The Data Protection Officer for WhatsApp can be contacted here.
If you have questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us or write us here:
WhatsApp Ireland Limited
Attn: Privacy Policy
Merrion Road
Dublin 4
D04 X2K5
Ireland