Facebook to rename Instagram and WhatsApp because it DGAF

No, this is not a joke.
 By 
Jack Morse
 on 
Facebook to rename Instagram and WhatsApp because it DGAF
I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it. Credit: Christophe Morin / getty

Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, and Mark Zuckerberg is apparently goddamn sick of having to remind people of that fact.

According to The Information, Facebook is set to change the names of Instagram and WhatsApp to better reflect their second-tier status and better credit Facebook for the apps' growth. And just what, exactly, will the new names be?

Say hello to "Instagram from Facebook," and "WhatsApp from Facebook."

Which: LOL.

We reached out to Facebook to confirm the change, but have received no response as of press time. Facebook did confirm the news to The Information, however.

"We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook," a Facebook spokesperson told the publication.

Notably, the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp have all departed the larger Facebook family over the course of the past few years. In the case of Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the two reportedly bailed because they felt the Facebook team was too up in Instagram's business. The founders of WhatsApp likewise had disagreements with their Zuckerberg-helmed corporate overlord.

Now that the founders are all gone, it seems Facebook will be the One Brand to Rule Them All — a risky move for a company with such a toxic brand following years of privacy scandals.

But hey, there is at least one undeniably good thing that will come out of this name change: People will no longer be able to overlook the fact that their lovely Instagram comes from a remarkably shady family.

UPDATE: Aug. 2, 2019, 4:46 p.m. PDT: A Facebook spokesperson provided the following statement: "We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook."

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Jack Morse

Professionally paranoid. Covering privacy, security, and all things cryptocurrency and blockchain from San Francisco.

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