One of the co-founders of messaging service WhatsApp has claimed that he sold his users’ privacy to Facebook and expressed his frustration over the technology giant’s ongoing efforts to squeeze more money out of the app.

Brian Acton, who co-founded the business with Jan Koum in 2009, has spoken for the first time about his unease with Facebook’s intentions for WhatsApp following its sale for $16bn (£12bn) in 2014.

“At the end of the day, I sold my company,” Mr Acton told Forbes magazine. “I sold my users’ privacy to a larger benefit. I made a choice and a compromise. And I live with that every day.”

But a scathing blog post by a senior Facebook employee disputed Mr Acton's version of events, calling his actions “a whole new standard of low-class”.

Mr Acton announced his resignation from Facebook last September but hadn’t previously spoken about the reasons for his departure.

Until the new Forbes magazine interview, Mr Acton’s only comment on his exit was a tweet sent in March advising followers to delete their Facebook accounts.