WhatsApp, The instant messaging app of the destination used by billions of people in the world, is about to reach an important milestone: theIntroduction of advertising in state updates and channels. This change, while representing a significant turning point in the app ecosystem, was designed so as not to interfere with the private messaging experience between users, which remains protected by end-to-end encryption. Basically, if you use WhatsApp mainly to communicate with friends or family, you will not notice any difference in your chats.
The news will focus exclusively in the section “Updates”which is consulted every day by beyond 1.5 billion people all over the world. Halfthe parent company of WhatsApp, intends to exploit this users’ base to offer new opportunities to channel administrators and companies, through three main tools: Premium subscriptions for exclusive content, sponsored channels to increase their visibility e advertising advertisements visible in the states, similar to those already present on Facebook and Instagram. All this, they ensure from WhatsApp, will be implemented respecting the highest personal data protection standards, without interfering with the private communication of users or sell telephone numbers to advertisers.
How advertising works in the “Updates” section of WhatsApp
But let’s enter detail. The update concerns a specific area of the app that has seen a rapid expansion in the last two years: the card “Updates”. In this section there are two distinct features. The first is lo statewhere users share short updates visible for 24 hours, in a format very similar to the “stories” of other social platforms. The second are the channelsflows of unidirectional content followed by millions of people to receive news, updates or content from creators, brands and institutions (by the way, if you still do not follow Geopop’s WhatsApp channel, this is the good time to start doing it).
Destination has decided to enhance this section with three key toolsdesigned to offer added value to both users and the same content creators:
- THE’channel subscriptionwhich will allow those who follow a channel to support it economically through a monthly payment. In return, exclusive updates will be received, not visible to users who are not subscribers.
- THE Promoted channelsthat is, the possibility, for the administrators, to increase the visibility of their channel within the public directory of WhatsApp. This will allow users to discover more easily potentially interesting content based on their interests, increasing the interaction and variety of information available.
- The introduction of advertisements in the statesthe most discussed, where short advertisements from companies will begin to appear. These are not invasive messages in personal chats, but of promotional content displayed exclusively in the “Update” tab. By touching one of these ads, it will be possible to start a direct conversation with the company promoting the sponsored content.
The implications on privacy
As for the Privacy managementone of the most delicate aspects when it comes to online advertising, WhatsApp reiterated that private conversations, voice calls and groups will continue to be protected with end-to-end encryption. This means that Not even WhatsApp can access the content of the messages.
The advertisements will be selected on the basis of a limited number of information, such as the city or country from which access to WhatsApp, the set language, the channels followed and the type of interaction that has been had with previous advertisements. For those who have connected WhatsApp to Meta Account Management Center (the same that unifies Facebook and Instagram), the advertising preferences expressed on the other services of the group will also be used, so as to make the ads more relevant and uniform.
An important point concerns transparency: the telephone number of users will never be shared or sold to advertisers. Furthermore, The contents of private chats and groups will never be used for advertising purposes. Meta stresses that he wants to build a sustainable business model for WhatsApp, without compromising the intimate and safe nature of the application.
