Handling personal data on B2B WhatsApp

Making sure you’re not vulnerable to data breaches when maintaining WhatsApp contacts

If you’re serious about leveraging the power and reach of WhatsApp, a lot of focus will naturally be on the content you’ll send – although ensuring your customers’ personal data is secure is arguably just as important.   

As with any mass storage of information, the phone numbers that make up a WhatsApp channel are vulnerable if your database becomes compromised, so ensuring the correct measures are in place to reduce that risk should be a priority.  

The easiest way to ensure data security is choosing a WhatsApp service provider that has ISO27001 accreditation, an international gold standard information security management framework that covers holding and managing customer data, among other things.

In fact, it’s such a significant stamp of approval that it’s not uncommon for larger organisations to refuse to work with a provider that isn’t compliant with ISO27001.  

Businesses that have ISO27001 accreditation are regularly checked by an external and auditor who reviews every aspect of how a business is run – ranging from the way it develops software, its business policies and procedures, right through to employee contracts and supplier agreements.

Maintaining those standards requires a significant level of investment, so finding a WhatsApp service provider with ISO27001 accreditation should offer the peace of mind that their data is safe.

What about GDPR?  

GDPR is also a significant factor when it comes to handling WhatsApp user data. Just like with email, businesses need the correct permissions to send marketing collateral, so checking you’re not in breach of GDPR guidelines by sending messages is important before launching into a big campaign. 

There are ways to ward against this and WhatsApp have their own spam rules to automatically weed out accounts with low engagement, but good data hygiene shouldn’t be overlooked.  

It’s also important for to check where data is being stored when using WhatsApp platforms. If a WhatsApp service provider is based overseas, it’s possible they’re working to less stringent information security standards, or privacy legislation than is required here in the UK, so it’s worth checking this before signing on the dotted line.