NEW YORK, Oct 1, 2018 (News Wires) - The founder of WhatsApp has revealed that he left the Facebook-owned messaging platform over plans to introduce targeted ads to its 1.5 billion users. Brian Acton, who left the company in September 2017, said that Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg planned to monetise WhatsApp by showing targeted ads in the app's Status feature. "Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy," Mr Acton told Forbes in his first major interview since leaving WhatsApp. He added that Facebook's $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp meant ultimately betraying his personal principals regarding user privacy and keeping the app ad free, despite Mr Zuckerberg's assurances that there would be no pressure to monetize WhatsApp for the first five years.