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When Netflix a few months ago prompted me with "Hey your number is a Whatsapp account, do mind if we send notifications via Whatsapp?" I was generally horrified

by flurdy 8y ago

When Netflix a few months ago prompted me with "Hey your number is a Whatsapp account, do mind if we send notifications via Whatsapp?" I was generally horrified. It felt a serious transgression of my privacy. Though in hindsight I realised it was an easy task, I can, after all, see if people are using Whatsapp if I have their number so there is little to stop companies doing the same lookup if they have my number. But it felt very uncomfortable. I don't want companies involved with my Whatsapp, it is exclusively for messaging my missus, and group chats with friends and family. Nothing else. I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". I am dreading what the ad monetisation will be like. Since everyone I am friends with, related to or worked with use Whatsapp, their market penetration is ubiquitous here in my London ecosphere. Hope they don't ruin that.

yesforwhat 8y ago
> I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". Everyone on WeChat claims it's amazing, I hated it.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
gsich 8y ago
>I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp
Already__Taken 8y ago
Whatsapp specifically though, it is just your phone number. You don't have that control over your phone number. Seems a little harsh to hold that one company to higher standards than literally anything else with your number. Direct marketing rules should still apply, in the UK you can't legally cold-call mobile numbers. I mean, I get it I agree with you and use whatsapp the same way. The one time I tried to use it to message for a takeaway they just ignored the order.
- flurdy 8y ago
  To be fair to Netflix it was a polite question banner at the top of the screen. Though fairly large and in your face. They did re-prompt a few times, but I have not seen it for a while now. But it caught me off guard as I was not expecting it. And did not welcome it. I wonder what the stats are for their members' responses. Maybe was just an A-B test.
  - tialaramex 8y ago
    I get that banner. I don't have WhatsApp and have never used it. The container Netflix is inside doesn't know anything about me other than my Netflix account. Presumably they've decided that annoying paying customers is a good idea.
josteink 8y ago
> I was generally horrified. So was I and I immediately finished my relation with WhatsApp. There’s no one there I can’t get on Facebook, Instagram or signal.
- mbesto 8y ago
  > There’s no one there I can’t get on Facebook, Instagram or signal. I'm actually waiting for FB/Whatsapp to announce it's specific monetization strategy so that it becomes the trigger to tell my friends/family on WhatsApp off of it and onto Signal. Otherwise, you're correct, it's very difficult to convince people otherwise.
  - sandov 8y ago
    Doesn't signal require Google play services to work? That's a deal breaker for me.
    - schoen 8y ago
      Historically yes, but not anymore! https://signal.org/android/apk/ https://signal.org/android/apk/ (scroll down past the warning urging you not to use this method)
    - pmh 8y ago
      Not since last year. See the previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13691050 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13691050
    - enitihas 8y ago
      Why is that a deal breaker for you? AFAIK, Signal only uses GCM to send notifications to wake the app. No data is sent over GCM. What messaging platform you use to avoid GCM?
      - sandov 8y ago
        I don't have Google play services installed on my phone, and don't want to install it anytime soon.
nashashmi 8y ago
> the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". When Facebook opened themselves up to everyone instead of College students, I felt the same way. When FB opened up to companies, I cancelled my account. In the end it didn't matter. Companies were creating FB accounts anyway. Curbing them to a more explicit form of corporateship was the right thing to do than let them masquerade as users. Internationally, WhatsApp is a very large force in both friendly communications and corporate/public/commercial avenues to communicate. Creating a WhatsApp business account (payable) to communicate with customers is the right thing to do. And I would not mind it as long as it is behind a portal and filter.
nashashmi 8y ago
Why did you give them your phone number anyways?
- OJFord 8y ago
  Mandatory; account recovery.
  - ratherbefuddled 8y ago
    It doesn't seem to be mandatory for me.
raverbashing 8y ago
Yes, I definitely don't want Netflix (or any other websites) sending me stuff through WhatsApp I don't want, I don't care and while I don't find it "terrifying" I DO think it's an annoyance not asked for If I want to see what's new there I go there. Period.
seltzered_ 8y ago
> I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". This was from the Forbes interview with whatsapp founder Brian Acton ( https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/09/26/exclusive-whatsapp-cofounder-brian-acton-gives-the-inside-story-on-deletefacebook-and-why-he-left-850-million-behind/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/09/26/exclusive... ) "An SMS has just come in from his local Honda dealer saying “payment received.” He points to it on his phone. “This is what I wanted people to do with WhatsApp,” he says of the world’s biggest messaging service, which is used by more than 1.5 billion people and provides ad-free, encrypted messaging as a core feature. “This was informational, and useful."" " "Acton had proposed monetizing WhatsApp through a metered-user model, charging, say, a tenth of a penny after a certain large number of free messages were used up. “You build it once, it runs everywhere in every country,” Acton says. “You don’t need a sophisticated sales force. It’s a very simple business.” Acton’s plan was shot down by Sandberg. “Her words were ‘It won’t scale.’ ”" Edit: someone else also mentioned this in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18431281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18431281
- reaperducer 8y ago
  "An SMS has just come in from his local Honda dealer saying “payment received.” He points to it on his phone. Forgive my skepticism, but this sounds fake to me. Unless there are countries where you local auto dealer finances your car. Everywhere I've lived, financing goes through a bank or the manufacturer's bank/bank partner (GMAC, etc...).
  - ryanlol 8y ago
    Perhaps the WhatsApp founder is not financing a Honda? E: Actually, I guess he’s just paying for his minivan repair.
    - reaperducer 8y ago
      Actually, I guess he’s just paying for his minivan repair. Ah, that makes more sense.
ratherbefuddled 8y ago
You know you don't have to give Netflix your mobile number right?

by flurdy 8y ago

yesforwhat 8y ago

> I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". Everyone on WeChat claims it's amazing, I hated it.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

gsich 8y ago

>I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp

Already__Taken 8y ago

Whatsapp specifically though, it is just your phone number. You don't have that control over your phone number. Seems a little harsh to hold that one company to higher standards than literally anything else with your number. Direct marketing rules should still apply, in the UK you can't legally cold-call mobile numbers. I mean, I get it I agree with you and use whatsapp the same way. The one time I tried to use it to message for a takeaway they just ignored the order.

flurdy 8y ago
To be fair to Netflix it was a polite question banner at the top of the screen. Though fairly large and in your face. They did re-prompt a few times, but I have not seen it for a while now. But it caught me off guard as I was not expecting it. And did not welcome it. I wonder what the stats are for their members' responses. Maybe was just an A-B test.
- tialaramex 8y ago
  I get that banner. I don't have WhatsApp and have never used it. The container Netflix is inside doesn't know anything about me other than my Netflix account. Presumably they've decided that annoying paying customers is a good idea.

josteink 8y ago

> I was generally horrified. So was I and I immediately finished my relation with WhatsApp. There’s no one there I can’t get on Facebook, Instagram or signal.

mbesto 8y ago
> There’s no one there I can’t get on Facebook, Instagram or signal. I'm actually waiting for FB/Whatsapp to announce it's specific monetization strategy so that it becomes the trigger to tell my friends/family on WhatsApp off of it and onto Signal. Otherwise, you're correct, it's very difficult to convince people otherwise.
- sandov 8y ago
  Doesn't signal require Google play services to work? That's a deal breaker for me.
  - schoen 8y ago
    Historically yes, but not anymore! https://signal.org/android/apk/ https://signal.org/android/apk/ (scroll down past the warning urging you not to use this method)
  - pmh 8y ago
    Not since last year. See the previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13691050 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13691050
  - enitihas 8y ago
    Why is that a deal breaker for you? AFAIK, Signal only uses GCM to send notifications to wake the app. No data is sent over GCM. What messaging platform you use to avoid GCM?
    - sandov 8y ago
      I don't have Google play services installed on my phone, and don't want to install it anytime soon.

nashashmi 8y ago

> the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". When Facebook opened themselves up to everyone instead of College students, I felt the same way. When FB opened up to companies, I cancelled my account. In the end it didn't matter. Companies were creating FB accounts anyway. Curbing them to a more explicit form of corporateship was the right thing to do than let them masquerade as users. Internationally, WhatsApp is a very large force in both friendly communications and corporate/public/commercial avenues to communicate. Creating a WhatsApp business account (payable) to communicate with customers is the right thing to do. And I would not mind it as long as it is behind a portal and filter.

nashashmi 8y ago

Why did you give them your phone number anyways?

OJFord 8y ago
Mandatory; account recovery.
- ratherbefuddled 8y ago
  It doesn't seem to be mandatory for me.

raverbashing 8y ago

Yes, I definitely don't want Netflix (or any other websites) sending me stuff through WhatsApp I don't want, I don't care and while I don't find it "terrifying" I DO think it's an annoyance not asked for If I want to see what's new there I go there. Period.

seltzered_ 8y ago

> I did read somewhere that one of the founders said the aim was to integrate apps/companies into Whatsapp, but for me "No!". This was from the Forbes interview with whatsapp founder Brian Acton ( https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/09/26/exclusive-whatsapp-cofounder-brian-acton-gives-the-inside-story-on-deletefacebook-and-why-he-left-850-million-behind/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/09/26/exclusive... ) "An SMS has just come in from his local Honda dealer saying “payment received.” He points to it on his phone. “This is what I wanted people to do with WhatsApp,” he says of the world’s biggest messaging service, which is used by more than 1.5 billion people and provides ad-free, encrypted messaging as a core feature. “This was informational, and useful."" " "Acton had proposed monetizing WhatsApp through a metered-user model, charging, say, a tenth of a penny after a certain large number of free messages were used up. “You build it once, it runs everywhere in every country,” Acton says. “You don’t need a sophisticated sales force. It’s a very simple business.” Acton’s plan was shot down by Sandberg. “Her words were ‘It won’t scale.’ ”" Edit: someone else also mentioned this in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18431281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18431281

reaperducer 8y ago
"An SMS has just come in from his local Honda dealer saying “payment received.” He points to it on his phone. Forgive my skepticism, but this sounds fake to me. Unless there are countries where you local auto dealer finances your car. Everywhere I've lived, financing goes through a bank or the manufacturer's bank/bank partner (GMAC, etc...).
- ryanlol 8y ago
  Perhaps the WhatsApp founder is not financing a Honda? E: Actually, I guess he’s just paying for his minivan repair.
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    Actually, I guess he’s just paying for his minivan repair. Ah, that makes more sense.

ratherbefuddled 8y ago

You know you don't have to give Netflix your mobile number right?