When following the form, I receive an e-mail saying:
> Hi,
> Thanks for your message.
> In order for us to review your objection, please reply to this email with > the following information:
> - What information processing you are objecting to. Your right to object applies where we rely on legitimate interest to process your information.
> - How WhatsApp’s processing of this information impacts you (example: what rights and freedoms you believe are impacted by the processing and why)
> - Any additional information you believe will help us review your objection (optional)
> We may ask you for more information if your request is incomplete.
> Thanks, WhatsApp Privacy Operations
Of course, I did not manage to get further than that: whatever I say, they answer that "We've reviewed your request and found that it doesn't meet the requirements for an objection to the processing of your personal information under the applicable data protection regulation.". They claim that they need all the information they collect, but since Signal does not collect any of that, it seems like they don't really need it. They also mention "Business intelligence and Analytics", it feels like it should be relatively easy to prove that they don't actually need to do that in order to provide WhatsApp to me, right?
Here they give more details about the information they collect, and the concept of "legitimate interest": https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea/revisions/20211122#privacy-policy-information-we-collect.
My question: what should I answer to that e-mail in order to force WhatsApp to collect as few metadata as possible coming from my activity?
Simple answer – you aren't going to be able to. Do you think they are going to release a new version of the app just for you? Their current policy has undoubtedly been approved by legal teams in the EU and across the world and unless you can find better lawyers than theirs or sympathetic government officials to back your cause you aren't really moving the needle.
If you can demonstrate by questioning that they are obstructing what information is used for, specifically, then that will fall foul of EU intention for objecting to use of information. Run it by https://mastodon.social/@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
They don't need to prove that they NEED it, just that they have a legitimate interest in collecting it which outweighs your right to privacy and your objection to it.
Just because Signal does not collect it does not mean that WhatsApp don't have a legitimate interest in collecting it. In particular, a for-profit company has a fairly compelling argument that 'business intelligence and analytics' is a strong legitimate interest, especially if, as their privacy policy suggests, they only process personal data to produce summary statistics.
You're better off just finding out what data they collect, and then trying to work out what you object to specifically.
I switched to Telegram 2 years ago, haven't installed WhatsApp ever since and all my contacts got comfortable with Telegram that I don't miss out on anything important anymore.
Dear WhatsApp Privacy Operations,
Thank you for your prompt response. I am writing to formally object to the processing of my personal information by WhatsApp based on my rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What information processing you are objecting to: I object to the processing of my personal data, including but not limited to my contact list, messages, location data, device information, and any other data that WhatsApp collects for purposes that are not essential to the provision of the service. Specifically, I am concerned about the processing of my data for targeted advertising, data sharing with third-party entities, and any other processing activities that are based on WhatsApp's legitimate interest rather than my explicit consent.
How WhatsApp’s processing of this information impacts you: The processing of my personal data by WhatsApp impacts my fundamental rights and freedoms, including my right to privacy. I am concerned about the potential misuse of my data, the risk of data breaches, and the sharing of my data with entities that I have not provided consent to. The aggregation and analysis of my data for profiling and targeted advertising purposes infringe upon my right to a private life and can lead to unwanted and intrusive advertisements. Furthermore, the sharing of my data with third-party entities without my explicit knowledge or consent compromises my trust in the platform and my ability to control how my personal information is used.
Any additional information you believe will help us review your objection (optional): I understand that WhatsApp may have business reasons for processing user data, but as a user, I believe that my right to privacy and control over my personal data should be paramount. I urge WhatsApp to consider the concerns of its users and to prioritize transparency and user control in its data processing activities. I hope that my objection will be taken into consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding the steps WhatsApp will take to address my concerns.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your WhatsApp Phone Number]