Meta picks India for WhatsApp's first e-commerce service

Meta's messaging service WhatsApp will launch its first end to end e-commerce service in India, through an alliance with giant conglomerate Reliance Industries’ digital business and mobile telephony subsidiary, Jio Platforms. “This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp -- people can now buy groceries …

[iron]

Facebook are trying to turn WhatsApp into that big Chinese chat app (I don't remember the name) that includes integrations like this. They want everyone to regularly access services and buy goods via WhatsApp - something they wouldn't do if they couldn't record data, show ads and monetise the user.

So, how secure do you think your WhatsApp conversations really are?

> Tata, the conglomerate that includes tech outsourcer Tata Consulting Services an e-commerce app called Tata Neu in May 2022.

FYI that sentence is missing a verb and probably a comma.

[Ynox]

You're thinking WeChat.

[fxkeh]

If Meta hadn't bought Whatsapp and effectively stopped it from innovating or adding any new features, it very likely would already be like WeChat (the Chinese app you're thinking of) or Line (the Japanese app that's also popular in other Asian countries). The takeover killed any chances of that so we in the west are left with apps that only know how to make money by selling our personal data, rather than making money on integrations and leaving your data alone. It's sad.

[Anonymous Coward]

WTF?

You don't seriously believe the CCP isn't hovering up every scrap of info it can from WeChat? I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

[fuzzie]

Re: WTF?

WhatsApp will happily ensure that end-to-end encryption works properly. You can likely be sure of that, barring the occasional arm-twisting from a government and/or agency. The value for them is not in the content of your messages, but in to whom you're talking

Imagine the insane mountains of meta-data. Given "sufficient" uptake,this is like being plugged straight into the backbone of the economy, especially the more informal economy. The type of thing which revenue and economic activity agencies.

They're also aggressively onboarding small and large businesses to their hosted platform, i.e. they provide a WhatsApp phone number, chat bots, etc. and the business only pays per message sent/received. Again, that's a treasure trove of meta data.

[Cuddles]

Re: WTF?

"WhatsApp will happily ensure that end-to-end encryption works properly."

Sure. The trick is in remembering exactly where those ends are. For those not paying attention, the ends are Whatsapp. They have full access to everything you say and do on their app. End-to-end encryption means third parties can't spy on your messages while in transit, it doesn't mean no-one else ever has access to them.

[Dan 55]

Facebook's poverty of imagination

They've sat on it for years and still haven't thought of putting a Doodle-like meeting calendar (where participants vote for the best day to meet) in group chats. Is WhatsApp improved by pages and pages of people going round in circles talking about what days they can and can't meet on?