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.

WhatsApp will instead use the country, city and language of the user, as well as how they interact with other ads and which channels they follow, to drive suggested content. But people who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see more personalised ads.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has announced plans to introduce advertising in parts of the messaging app in a bid to generate new revenue streams.