As WhatsApp’s introduction of targeted ads goes to show, “if you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer, you’re the product.” https://www.theverge.com/news/687519/whatsapp-launch-advertising-status-updates
WhatsApp is officially getting ads

WhatsApp is getting ads, as Meta has announced that it will now allow businesses to promote their products and services through its status feature.

The Verge

@threemaapp Form the article: 'The company says it “will never sell or share your phone numbers to advertisers,” adding that it won’t use your messages, calls, or groups to inform its ads.'

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My take:
That's because we won't give away information that we could sell targeted ads with. Why would we sell the data that would allow others to do intelligence and targeting themselves?

@neuron @threemaapp so targeted Ads as a service 🤷‍♂️