How to check if you opted out of WhatsApp data-sharing with Facebook

WhatsApp has been in the news lately thanks to the update to its privacy policy update. And while the company says that it will respect the decision of those who opted out of data-sharing with Facebook, how do you check if you chose this setting?

The wording of the privacy policy was updated recently, but the opt-out option was only temporarily available in 2016.

“We offered a one-time opt-out for data sharing in 2016, and since that time, that feature does not exist within the app. So in practice this has not been available for more than four years,” a Facebook spokesperson told Memeburn in January.

But most of us can’t remember if we opted-out years ago.

Luckily, there’s a way to check using the request account information tool on WhatsApp.

How to check if you opted-out of Facebook data-sharing on WhatsApp

Whether you opted out of this data-sharing in 2016 can be found in your account info report.

The report takes three days to generate and you can request it through the WhatsApp mobile app.

To request the report, go to your “Settings”, and then “Account”.

You will then see the option to “Request account info”.

On this page, WhatsApp gives you an overview of what the process entails. Click on the “Request report” button to start generating yours.

This button will then update to “Request sent” with an expected date of delivery.

When your report is ready, you will be able to export it and extract it on your mobile device. You can use an app like Google Drive to open and extract the report.

When viewing your report, scroll down to the section that says “Terms of Service”. There you will see “Data Sharing Opt-Out”.

If it says Yes, it means you opted out of data-sharing with Facebook. If it says No, it means you didn’t.

Unfortunately, there is no way to opt out now if you didn’t back in 2016.

Feature image: Shereesa Moodley/Memeburn

Read more: WhatsApp delays new privacy policy deadline