WhatsApp has announced that it is delaying implementation of the new privacy policy until May 2021, as the company wants users to understand the new terms and then agree. It admitted that the new policy created a lot of confusion and there was also a lot of misinformation about the changes. Also, WhatsApp has promised not to delete anyone on February 8th.
The Facebook-owned company gives users at least three months to properly review and accept the policy. WhatsApp announced that the privacy policy will go into effect on May 15th. Here is how it all started and what the current situation is like.
WhatsApp will update its privacy policy on January 4th
Earlier this month, WhatsApp updated its privacy policy, asking users to agree to the changes before February 8th. The new updates provided more information on how companies are using Facebook-hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats. It has also expanded how WhatsApp works with Facebook to offer integrations across the Facebook business.
WhatsApp highlighted that the new privacy policy would also impact user interaction with business accounts, many of which may use Facebook’s hosting services. The data exchange with Facebook had already taken place since 2016, when the last major update of the data protection guideline took place. Note, however, that WhatsApp never announced that it would share user data such as chats or group names or group chats with Facebook.
Continue reading: WhatsApp is delaying updated privacy policy after confusing users
WhatsApp faced a backlash, people moved to Signal or Telegram
The new privacy policy did not change anything for personal chats, but it caused a lot of alarm. Many were unhappy with the terms WhatsApp added to the terms and conditions. Further data protection issues were raised and a lot of misinformation spread about the app.
For privacy reasons, many users switched to Signal, a more privacy-focused messaging app. As a result, Signal reached number one on the App Store in India and number three on Google Play. Lots of people started downloading the private messaging app when Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, publicly encouraged users to use Signal. Many have also switched to Telegram as it is a feature-rich messaging app.
WhatsApp gives clarification
With people concerned about privacy and planning to migrate to other messaging apps, WhatsApp made it clear that neither Facebook nor Facebook can see users’ private messages or hear their calls. The company stated that all messages are encrypted end-to-end and no logs are kept of who is sending or calling. The service also tried to clarify that WhatsApp cannot see the shared location (neither does Facebook) and does not share users’ contacts with Facebook.
“WhatsApp is based on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means that we always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. For this reason, we do not keep logs of who sends or calls all messages. We also can’t see your shared location and can’t share your contacts with Facebook, “It said.
However, it was clarified again that business chats between users and company accounts were affected by the new policy. As the new policy points out, sending messages to a company on WhatsApp is not the same as chatting one-on-one with your friends and family, as a company may use a third-party service to manage and host those chats. It could also use the services of Facebook to manage these chats and later use this data, for example to place an advertisement on the social media network. Read more about how this works here.
In detail: Explained: How private is WhatsApp, what can Facebook see and should you look for alternatives?
WhatsApp extends the deadline for agreeing data protection provisions
WhatsApp had asked its users to accept the new privacy policy by February 8, but extended the deadline to May 15. The company believes that users are confused about their new terms and conditions and lack sufficient clarity about the latest privacy policy. WhatsApp has also confirmed that the users’ account will not be deleted on February 8th.
“We’re now postponing the date when people will be asked to review and accept the terms. Nobody will have their account blocked or deleted on February 8th. We’ll also be doing a lot more to clear up the misinformation about how privacy and security work on WhatsApp. We will then gradually reach out to staff to review the guidelines at their own pace before new business options become available on May 15th. ” The company said in a new blog post.