Listening
Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- encrypt / ɪnˈkrɪpt / (v.) – to change information into a secret code so that only certain people can read or use it
Example:The company encrypted customers’ emails and phone numbers to protect their privacy.
- vow / vaʊ / (v.) – to make a serious promise or decision to do something
Example:The president vowed to improve access to healthcare and education.
- target / ˈtɑr gɪt / (v.) – to aim or direct something like an ad, product, or message at a specific group of people
Example:The grocery store’s special offers are targeted at members of its loyalty program.
- monetize / ˈmɑː nə taɪz / (v.) – to make or earn money from something
Example:Creators can monetize their channels by adding ads.
- visibility / ˌvɪz əˈbɪl ɪ ti / (n.) – the fact of being easy to notice and attract attention
Example:The company used bright colors on the boxes to improve the product’s visibility.
Article
Read the text below.
WhatsApp said that users will start seeing ads in parts of the app, as owner Meta Platforms moves to cultivate a new revenue stream by tapping the billions of people who use the messaging service.
Advertisements will be shown only in the app’s Updates tab, which is used by as many as 1.5 billion people each day. However, they won’t appear where personal chats are located, developers said.
“The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp isn’t changing, and personal messages, calls and statuses are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be used to show ads,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
It’s a big change for the company, whose founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, vowed to keep the platform free of ads when they created it in 2009.
Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014, and the pair left a few years later. Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. has long been trying to generate revenue from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp said ads will be targeted at users based on information like their age, the country or city where they’re located, the language they’re using, the channels they’re following in the app, and how they’re interacting with the ads they see.
WhatsApp said it won’t use personal messages, calls and groups that a user is a member of to target ads to the user.
It’s one of three advertising features that WhatsApp unveiled as it tries to monetize the app’s user base. Channels will also be able to charge users a monthly fee for subscriptions, so they can get exclusive updates. And business owners will be able to pay to promote their channel’s visibility to new users.
Most of Meta’s revenue comes from ads. In 2024, the Menlo Park, California-based company’s revenue totaled $164.5 billion, and $160.6 billion of it came from advertising.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
- WhatsApp’s founders vowed the app would stay free of ads, but its new owner, Meta, now wants to earn revenue by adding them. Do you think it’s fair for a company to change its promises when new owners take over? Why or why not? Discuss.
- If an app or service you’ve used for free for many years starts showing ads or asking for payments under a new owner, how would you feel? Would you continue using the service, or stop using it? Why? Discuss.
Discussion B
- Do you enjoy or dislike seeing ads while using your favorite mobile apps? Why? In your experience, do ads interrupt your use of the app, or do they appear without causing problems? Discuss.
- Some apps use basic information—like your age, city, or language—to show you ads that match your interests. Do you think this is helpful, or does it feel like your personal information is being used too much? What kind of ads would you be okay with seeing, and what kind would bother you? Discuss.
