WhatsApp: Govt warns Nigerian users of alleged privacy breaches
Nigeria’s IT regulator has alerted WhatsApp users in the country to alleged data privacy breaches on the messaging platform owned by Facebook.
The Whatsapp Terms of Service and Privacy Policy which came into effect on May 15 raises serious data privacy concerns to millions of Nigerian users of the messaging service, according to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, NITDA’s Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relation says in the advisory that the Federal IT regulator wants to “ensure Nigerians do not become victims of digital colonialism”, hence it is advising WhatsApp users to explore alternative platform while discussions are underway with owners, Facebook.
ALERT: Limit sharing of sensitive information on WhatsApp, NITDA warns Nigerians By Stephen Kenechukwu 18 Views
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has advised Nigerians to limit the sharing of sensitive personal information on private messaging and social media platforms such as WhatsApp.
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In a statement by Hadiza Umar, NITDA’s head of corporate affairs and external relations, the agency also called the attention of Nigerians to a recent change in WhatsApp privacy policy and its security implication for citizens.
The statement is titled ‘WhatsApp privacy policy changes: Implication for Nigerian users’.
Among the data collected by the messaging site, NITDA noted, are account info, status info, messages, location details, transaction and payment data, connections, usage and log information, and internet protocol address.