http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...942_story.html

This is a shame and a backwards step dor Whatsapp

Viber will be next on their list.

Great for WhatApp (creators/owners), terrible for anyone using it.

There a selling out??

What a disappointment.

I guess they'll start charging now, or at least selling ads

more like integrated into the Facebook App and all that signal into Facebook as "private" communication.

I was reticent before about WhatsApp - I'm plain against it now.

I use it a lot, mainly with sisters and friends in Spain, but I might change my mind when this goes ahead.

Let's wait and see what changes it brings.

the changes will likely bring a new player into the market. Most likely smaller but appealing to those who don't want their whole life on Facebook.

which is 4 of us I guess....

Change to Viber.

I don't know what that is

Ah, yes, the reluctant 4 of you.

They'll convert you yet

It seems only reasonable to do this....

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=viber+app

I was almost there, cleverclogs

Thanks

Viber was bought out by Rakuten, Japan's largest e-commerce site, for $900 m.

Doesn't matter what you use, someone will use it for commercial gain.

Very true, but they are not FB.

Hopefully they don't change the format as often as FB does

VOXER.




cheers
SC

My initial reaction to the acquisition of Instagram by FB was one of outrage, "I'll never touch this with a 10ft pole"... Give it time and all just blends into the "new normal" - privacy is now a myth, owning your data equally so. If it isn't facebook, it's Google, if not them, it's the NSA, HLS, CIA, MI5 or any other shithead abbreviation with money to burn.

I am using Instagram, only taking pictures of things unrelated to my family. I never store GPS data for images. I am using FB only to keep track of friends - who moved where. I will likely keep using WhatsApp very much like I did before: I'm just a guy who knows that nothing is sacred anymore - if you are online, you are exposed: to what extent, it depends on your skill and desire. Remember that sometimes it is better to be 1 of the 1+billion users somewhere than just that one guy who runs 256-bit encryption on his calls, talk about needle in a haystack. End of the day we are just % marks in some aggregate pie chart in a powerpoint somewhere, as cool as I think I am

Privacy is evolving fast, not to my taste but I am trying to adapt.

Back on topic: the statement from FB was crystal clear - we will keep it as a separate thing (no alterations or integrations), just like we did with Instagram. This is the silver lining, IMHO.

I just think the amount that Facebook paid is excessive. This is really starting to smell like another .com bubble. How much higher will it go before it bursts is the question.

I am just happy that I never subscribed to FB and never will, ever!