WhatsApp puts up WhatsApp Status to explain privacy policy amid backlash
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Jan 18, 2021
WhatsApp has dug itself into a hole, thanks to Facebook's recent announcement about how users of one of the best messaging apps will be required to share their information with the social media platform.
However, the new privacy policy didn't go down too well with users.
Facebook has said that it will not access those messages for any type of ad targeting, but language in the updated terms of service concerned many users who anxious that Facebook would suddenly see their private messages.
This became apparent last week when Telsa CEO Elon Musk urged his followers on Twitter to use competing messaging app Signal.
WhatsApp also canceled its February 8 deadline for accepting the tweak to its terms of service, involving sharing data with Facebook servers.
"We " re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms", the blog post reads. Many users of the app were unable to send messages to each other.
For the first time in many years, it looks like Facebook is taken into consideration users' feedback.
"This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook", it said in a statement.
WhatsApp helped bring end-to-end encryption to people across the world and we are committed to defending this security technology now and in the future.
We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear we continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption. Hopefully, those at Signal can get things fully up-and-running for the millions of new users that are relying on it for messaging, else make the move to Telegram. "We also can't see your shared location and we don't share your contacts with Facebook", it said further. Similarly, the new policy allows a business to put a WhatsApp button on their Facebook page, allowing you to quickly message them using WhatsApp.
Signal said that if an Android user sees a "bad encrypted message", they should "tap the menu in the top right and tap "reset secure session". It is created to outline how businesses who use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of chats on Facebook servers.
"Today, high government officials like ministers and members of Parliament, judges, senior bureaucrats, defence personnel, crores of traders and well-known businessmen and so on use WhatsApp for sharing confidential and personal information and the compromise in the privacy policy would result in serious repercussions even for the national security of India", the plea says.
