Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance has warned chat applications such as WhatsApp against sharing any file or information related to the ministry directly or indirectly or using official e-mail to exchange files and information related to it with anyone. The ministry noted that there are alternative instant messaging applications that are more private for personal use.

The ministry’s warning came in the wake of the messaging service WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, which drew ire from its users. The company announced recently that it will force users to share information with its parent company Facebook if they want to keep using the service.

The messaging service announced changes to its privacy policy, which includes sharing user information such as the phone number, account images, and user activities on the application, in addition to specifying the IP (Internet Protocol) of the computer or the user’s phone, location and language with Facebook Company. In the event that this new policy not accepted, the WhatsApp application will be stopped its service for the beneficiary until it is accepted.