Meta, the gigantic tech company that owns the social media giants Facebook and Instagram as well as the popular messenger WhatsApp, has been in the crosshairs of regulators in the past. The company even had to pay large fines for violating data protection regulations.
What many users don't know: Using the desktop and web versions of WhatsApp, users can see at any time what information the program has collected about them.
Function enables individual user report
As the industry blog WABetaInfo reports, the messenger rolled out the “Request account info” feature for WhatsApp Desktop/Web back in May 2022 – back then with the beta version 2.22.04.1. This was initially only implemented for the mobile version years ago as part of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
And that is how it works:
- Open the web version of WhatsApp > select the three-dot menu (top right) > go to Settings > then Account > and select “Request account info”.
This function was not available on the desktop for a long time. After initial testing by users, however, it is now available to everyone. What exactly can the new function do? You can query what information WhatsApp has already collected about you.
In WhatsApp, the corresponding option says:
“Create one Report your WhatsApp account information and settings which you can open here and transfer to another app. Your messages are not included in this report.”
How to find the feature in WhatsApp Desktop
Similar to the mobile version, you can find the new option since the update via the Three-point menu . This is located on WhatsApp desktop in the top right above the group chat list. Click on ” Settings “ and you will be taken to the corresponding menu item. Here you will now see the selection “ Request account info “.
Finally, click on the “Request report” button, after which “Request sent” is displayed and below it the expected creation and availability date. According to WhatsApp, it usually takes about three days for the data to be available. You will then be informed via the messenger that “Your account info report (…) is now available” and you have one week to download the data.
The information listed in the WhatsApp report includes the following:
- activity
- Privacy settings
- Device information
- contacts
There is also content such as the profile picture, the system used and the current WhatsApp version. Messages and chat histories are not included, so a backup via the account information is not possible.
