I know that WhatsApp is owned by Meta, just like Facebook. I know the relationship between the two platforms and the parent company, which the messaging app shares with the rest of the Meta companies, including Facebook, a large amount of user data. What surprised me was that the social network used WhatsApp for two-factor authentication.
Due to my increasingly reduced use of social networks, and the few advantages I have found recently with Facebook, it has been years since I regularly accessed the social network. In fact, I can go months without logging in from my computer; which always involves SMS confirmation (I don't even touch the mobile app). Even if it was before: the last times I logged into Facebook the code came to me in parallel.
WHATSAPP Tips and tricks to hide as much as possible and preserve your CONFIDENTIALITY
Why spend on SMS if there is WhatsApp?
Two-factor confirmation when accessing Facebook from the web
Since Meta shares user data between its services and platforms, WhatsApp knows that I have a Facebook account and that is that my cell number has a WhatsApp account. Too much personal data, I eliminated my meta information to the minimum necessary for operation. Although I must admit that the relationship between Meta and WhatsApp reserves a certain advantage.
Two-step confirmation is enabled on all my accounts (my recommendation is that you do the same, as it is very easy to steal from a user). Until now, every time I wanted to access Facebook, I chose “Use another method” and in the drop-down menu I marked the SMS. With the introduction of WhatsApp, I currently receive confirmation code sent directly to my email account. Less privacy, but more comfortable. One thing for another.
Facebook sends the confirmation code via WhatsApp if it detects that your cell phone is registered in the messaging service
Receiving the confirmation code by WhatsApp allows me to access Facebook from any mobile phone on which the account is logged in. Since I'm constantly changing cell phones, I move the WhatsApp account, not the primary SIM; so this way I make sure to connect even from a mobile that I am analyzing.
Receiving confirmation codes via instant messaging rather than SMS makes it easier to use double factoring as a security measure. And without losing this option, Facebook continues to show me sending via SMS if I need it. Of course, there is an important point here: the code is received on the mobile phone that has the main WhatsApp account, not to everyone who is related. If you use WhatsApp Web, for example, you won't receive the code there.
WhatsApp can share almost any information with Facebook
Facebook code received on mobile with WhatsApp
Depending on whether you live in the European Union or the rest of the world, Meta companies will have access to more or less of your data. The former are a little more covered in terms of confidentiality, although the information is also shared between the whole group; in addition to third-party companies that work with Meta. WhatsApp specifies this in its terms of service.
The content of the messages themselves is 100% private, since end-to-end encryption prevents access. The rest is another story: user IP address with approximate location, metadata of information related to connections, device identification, WhatsApp shares the phone number with Meta… And if you had already associated this same number to your Facebook, Meta It establishes the relationship between the two accounts to offer, among other things, a two-step confirmation via messaging.
The sending of access codes by WhatsApp shows the close relationship that exists between this platform and Facebook. Even if you barely access Facebook: The personal information you transfer from WhatsApp is very valuable. This is why Meta spent $19 billion in 2014.
Cover image | Image 3 in Gemini
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