> you should consider your real identity linked to it
What is the point of these products if not linked to my real identity? That’s the whole idea of them. I use Facebook and WhatsApp to talk to people who know me. That’s why they want to talk to me. If they didn’t know my identity they would want to talk to me.
Of course your real identity is probably involved somewhere. It's just that I, and many others like me, don't think a third party should know what my real identity is. It's not their business.
Edit: Unfortunately it probably is their business. A poor choice of words.
No, not really. I don't apply for jobs, book flights or vote with my Facebook account. I'm not concerned with what kind of insights that Facebook can infer from a fake Mickey Mouse account. I'm concerned about the possibility of being discriminated against in the real world based upon data gleamed from my online interactions.
You can get discriminated when booking flights though and you get selective propaganda through your FB account though... so you individually may not be affected but your group, whatever that is, may be.
Off the top example: If four of your friends are buying gifts for your baby shower, this is a signal that your other friends have the intent to buy baby gifts and could be marketed to.
WhatsApp was specifically designed to be encrypted and private. Facebook, however, seems to play fast and loose with data. Sure you can talk to John Doe, but you might hope no one else knows that you're talking to John or what you're talking about. Useful, for example, to report a government conspiracy to a reporter.
What is the point of these products if not linked to my real identity? That’s the whole idea of them. I use Facebook and WhatsApp to talk to people who know me. That’s why they want to talk to me. If they didn’t know my identity they would want to talk to me.