Taxing gatekeepers~I
By 2016-17, Facebook had designed a business model that aimed at maximising the ‘user engagement’, that is how much time users spent on their platform, and started collecting data on what they liked and shared.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp may soon ask users to verify their identity to make payments on the platform.
According to XDA Developers, new strings spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta release suggest that the messenger will require users to upload verification documents to continue using payments on app.
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Currently, when users set up Pay in India, the service only verifies the phone number linked to your bank account to enable UPI-based transactions.
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In Brazil, the messenger uses Facebook Pay to validate users’ credit or debit cards to facilitate payments.
At the moment, the service doesn’t require users to submit any identity verification documents to make payments. However, that might change soon, the report said.
WhatsApp v2.21.22.6 beta includes a few new strings which suggest that users might have to submit identity verification documents to continue using payments.
The identity verification might be limited to those who use WhatsApp Pay to receive payments for their businesses.
UPI-based apps, like Google Pay, PhonePe and even Pay don’t require users to submit any documents to transfer or receive money. However, wallet apps like PayTM do ask for KYC verification as per RBI guidelines.
WhatsApp is yet to make an official announcement regarding this change. Since the new strings have just made their way to the beta version, it might be a while before the company reveals any details, the report said.
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