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WhatsApp introduces ads in its app

(www.nytimes.com)
713 points greenburger | 3 comments | 16 Jun 25 13:38 UTC | HN request time: 0.063s | source
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leokennis ◴[16 Jun 25 14:05 UTC] No.44289612[source]▶
At least in The Netherlands, WhatsApp could show a 60 second unskippable modal ad video on every launch, and still get away with it due to network effects.

If you’re not on WhatsApp, no updates or news from your kids school, your sports team, your family, your car dealership etc. for you.

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AlecSchueler ◴[16 Jun 25 14:12 UTC] No.44289688[source]▶
Signal seems to be booming right now in the Netherlands. I've been using it for years and never managed to grow my contact list beyond single digits, being a few friends in tech and a few who were very privacy conscious. All of those people were also available on WhatsApp and we'd often forget and message one another there.

But since January the trust in Meta has not only plummeted but it's become a mainstream enough talking point that I now receive invites to join Signal groups from--for want of a better term--normal people. Two of the local parenting groups I'm on are on Signal and no one ever mentions it or questions it, it's just "here's the group link" and the expectation that everyone has it installed.

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ghusto ◴[16 Jun 25 17:20 UTC] No.44291471[source]▶
In the Netherlands, was trying to promote Signal.

I switched phones and lost all my history. Now I’m fairly careful with these things, and make backups, but even I wasn’t able to get it back. Couldn’t recommend it to anyone since.

There’s a line between being secure and being useful, and they’re slightly unbalanced in Signal.

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jeroenhd ◴[16 Jun 25 23:06 UTC] No.44294189[source]▶
Had the same happen with WhatsApp. Turns out you get one chance to get the local file backup right or you're screwed.
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account-5 ◴[17 Jun 25 06:09 UTC] No.44296157[source]▶
Just out of interest, why are you keeping your chat history? What for? All my chats are set to burn after 6 months as standard but most are shorter than this.
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1. ajkjk ◴[17 Jun 25 11:19 UTC] No.44297787{3}[source]▶
just curious.. why you are deleting your chats? what if you want to search them for something from a while ago?
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2. account-5 ◴[17 Jun 25 22:16 UTC] No.44304558[source]▶
I can't think of anything beyond a month is need to search for. And I'm definitely not interested in having it just in case. If it's important I'll write it down.

I'm also not a social media user.

How many people have been caught out over shit they've said decades ago that is now not fashionable to say?

What parts of your old chat histories can get you in trouble if the police got hold of your phone?

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3. ajkjk ◴[18 Jun 25 00:03 UTC] No.44305322[source]▶
I mean... none of mine, that's for sure, nor am I expecting to get in trouble for anything I've said in the past. I don't customarily do things I wouldn't be okay with somebody finding out about, and if did find something out and decided to become angry at me, that's on them for being a shitty person and doesn't really bother me. Nor am I expecting anyone to be looking at my history other than me anyway; that's why my phone has a passcode.