WhatsApp is a fabulous service, and may be worth the billions Facebook is paying for it. One of its best features, the company has claimed, is that it puts users first and, partly by being a paid app instead of an ad-based one, respects their privacy.

That depends on your viewpoint, I guess. Here are the permissions WhatsApp demands from its Android phone users (copied/pasted from the Google Play site):

This app has access to these permissions:

Your accounts
find accounts on the device
use accounts on the device
add or remove accounts
create accounts and set passwords
read Google service configuration
Your location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
Your messages
receive text messages (SMS)
send SMS messages
Network communication
receive data from Internet
full network access
view network connections
view Wi-Fi connections
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
Your personal information
read your own contact card
Phone calls
read phone status and identity
directly call phone numbers
Storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
System tools
modify system settings
install shortcuts
uninstall shortcuts
test access to protected storage
Your applications information
run at startup
retrieve running apps
Camera
take pictures and videos
Microphone
record audio
Your social information
read your contacts
modify your contacts
Affects battery
prevent device from sleeping
control vibration
Sync Settings
read sync statistics
read sync settings
toggle sync on and off
Choose a device