They will appear in only one part of the Meta-owned messaging service, it said. The move is potentially lucrative, while raising questions about user privacy.

"Meta's trying to turn WhatsApp into a platform without users realising it and if they move too fast or it starts to feel like another ad network, people might disengage or maybe

WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, will introduce ads in the app's Updates tab, used by 1.5 billion people daily. The ads aim to create a new revenue stream without altering the personal messaging experience.