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WhatsApp has delayed updating its privacy policy which has caused confusion and backlash among users for fear that it could mean wider data sharing with the owner of the Facebook messaging app.
“We have heard from so many confused people around our recent update. A lot of misinformation has been a cause for concern and we want to help everyone to learn the principles and understand our facts, “WhatsApp said in a blog post over the weekend.
The updates were specifically related to features that allow users to message and interact with businesses on WhatsApp. Last year, Facebook announced that businesses using WhatsApp could store and manage their chairs with customers using “Facebook’s secure hosting infrastructure.”
As part of this, the content business sees the message between it and a user and may use that information for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook.
WhatsApp was launched to start encouraging users on February 8 to accept updated terms to continue using the app. But Facebook said it is now pushing the deadline back for people to review and accept the terms. Their account will not be canceled or deleted on February 8, Facebook added. People will have the opportunity to “gradually” review the policy “at their own pace” before the new business options become available on 15 May.
The updates caused privacy “upheaval,” WhatsApp said. Many users accepted that it meant the app would share more data, including messages, with Facebook.
Many users were concerned that the updated privacy policy indicated wider data sharing between WhatsApp and Facebook. But that is not the case. Since 2016, WhatsApp has shared certain data with Facebook such as your phone number.
But the content of the messages cannot be viewed with WhatsApp or Facebook. That’s because they’re circulated. That does not change.
However, users who were concerned about their privacy were looking at Signal and Telegram’s competing messaging apps. Both of these apps market themselves as a focus on privacy and both of them reported surging downloads.
On Saturday, Signal suffered a disruption due to incoming users. Signal said it was “adding new servers and additional capacity at faster speeds every day” last week and the app came back online Sunday.