Meta to start showing ads on WhatsApp
16/06/2025 | TechCrunch
In a blog article on Monday, Meta announced that it is preparing to introduce advertising to its WhatsApp messaging platform. While the company claims the ads will be "built with privacy in mind" and will only be shown in the updates tab—not embedded within one-to-one messages themselves—they are, however, powered using personal data from Facebook and Instagram.
In a blog article responding to the news, the privacy and digital rights advocacy group NOYB claims that the move is likely illegal under both the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
In a statement, NOYB honorary chair Max Schrems said: "Meta is doing exactly the opposite of what EU law requires. The data of its various platforms gets linked and users are tracked for advertising without any genuine choice. Without freely given consent, linking data and showing personalised advertising is clearly illegal. Meta has already introduced a 'Pay or Okay' approach on Instagram and Facebook, without the Irish data protection authority or the EU Commission taking any effective action against it. We suspect that Meta will do the same with WhatsApp."
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