This site leans hard on your data.
5/5 checks · 1 third parties · 0 cookies · capped at D
WhatsApp's parent Meta earns roughly 98% of its revenue from targeted advertising. A clean marketing site can’t change that — and a homepage scan can’t see what the app does once you log in — so this grade can’t rise above a D.
Why this grade is capped · sourced, not vibes
Ireland's privacy regulator fined WhatsApp 225 million euros in 2021 for failing to clearly tell users and their contacts how their data was used.
Source: Irish Data Protection Commission decision, Sept 2021 (fine under appeal as of 2026)
Owner Meta was fined a record $5 billion in 2019 for repeatedly deceiving users about who could access their personal data.
Source: FTC v. Facebook, $5 billion penalty and 20-year order, July 2019 (FTC/DOJ)
A 2021 privacy-policy change confirmed WhatsApp shares account and usage information with parent company Meta, triggering a global user backlash.
Source: WhatsApp 2021 privacy policy update; widely reported (e.g. The Guardian, Reuters, 2021)
What WhatsApp does with your data
Your connection is encrypted, so others on your network can’t read what you send.
Serves over HTTPS and enforces it (HSTS)
Few outside companies load with the page, so your visit isn’t broadcast widely.
Contacts 1 third-party domain on load
It sets no third-party cookies, so nothing here tags you to follow around the web.
Sets no third-party cookies
None of the trackers it contacts are on our high-risk watchlist.
Contacts no high-risk / adversarial-state domains
It isn’t a registered data broker.
Not a registered data broker
Last scored 6/3/2026
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