While this new development raises security questions about WhatsApp, it isn’t the only security flaw in the app. With more than a billion people chatting, calling, and sharing photos through the app, there are always privacy risks. But this time, the intrusion of Facebook into WhatsApp territory can pose a very real threat to your personal security.

Read More: 5 Tips for Getting The Most out of Facebook Mobile

WhatsApp New Privacy Policy
WhatsApp has updated their privacy policy to include this little gem: “to coordinate more and improve experiences across our services and those of Facebook and the Facebook family.” The reasons for this move include:

1. “We will be able to more accurately count unique users.”
2. “We can better fight spam and abuse.”
3. “If you are a Facebook user, you might see better friend suggestions and more relevant ads on Facebook.”

But really, they would like to test new ways to expand their advertising outlet and let businesses communicate with WhatsApp users in a different way. From “hearing from your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction, or getting notified by an airline about a delayed flight, many of us get this information elsewhere, including in text messages and phone calls. We want to test these features in the next several months.”

Now, WhatsApp plans to share phone numbers with Facebook. What’s more, they will be including analytics information. That means that there will be more Facebook friend targeting, more instances of Facebook trying to match you up with people you know, as well as Facebook ads that will use your phone number to serve you ads that line up with your area, interests, and so on.

Facebook will still see who you frequently contact on WhatsApp, what media you share, and may be able to link your social media accounts to you as well. Sharing this metadata with Facebook can still put users at risk.

For those with a WhatsApp account, but not a Facebook account, they will not have any changes made to their use of the app. Users have a limited time to prevent Facebook from using their information for targeting purposes.

Stay Safe Online
To keep your browsing history safe from viruses and malware, turn to PSafe Total. Remove large audio files to free up space and get your phone feeling like new again.

Privacy Settings
There are a lot of different aspects of your Facebook account that you can change. Altering your privacy settings is one way to make your account more secure. To do this, click the “padlock” symbol. This will take you to your account settings, where you can adjust a variety of features on your account. Click the “privacy” setting. Here you can control who sees your posts or sends you friend requests, who can search for you on Facebook, or who can link to your profile. In addition, you can alter who sees your posts or photos, or review any posts that you’re tagged in before they are made public. The more you limit your audience to “friends” only, the more secure you make your account.

Read More: Unknown LinkedIn Connections Could be Hackers in Disguise

Security Settings
The next step to a more secure Facebook account is to adjust your security settings. Here you can:

• Get a notification or email alert whenever your account is used on an unknown device
• Require a login code to access your account on unknown browsers
• Choose a trusted contact to access your account in case of an emergency
• Review which devices you’re currently active on
• Choose a “legacy contact” who can take over your account in the case of your death
• Deactivate your account

Some of the other security features are slightly more complex. If you choose to activate “login approvals” (this is when you require a login code on unknown browsers), you can further strengthen your account through additional steps. Activating login approvals will give you access to Code Generator, a feature that creates a unique security code every 30 seconds. You can use this code in addition to a password, or even to reset your password.

Another cool feature is a “one-time password.” This is a good option if you want to log on to Facebook on public Wi-Fi. On Facebook’s Help page, you can find a number you can text that will assign you a one-time temporary password.

Other Tips to Keep in Mind

• Make sure that you have a secure email address associated with your account.
• Download PSafe Total to protect your devices from security threats.