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WhatsApp has delayed updating the privacy policy which caused confusion and reactions among users for fears that it could mean wider data access with the owner of the Facebook messaging app.
“We have heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There has been a lot of misinformation that worries us and we want to help everyone understand our principles and facts,” WhatsApp said in a blog post during the weekend .
Updates are specifically related to features that allow users to send messages and interact with businesses on WhatsApp. Last year, Facebook announced that companies using WhatsApp could store and manage their chats with customers through Facebook’s “secure hosting infrastructure.”
As part of this, a company can see the content of the message between itself and a user and can use this information for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook.
WhatsApp was set to start asking users on February 8 to accept the updated terms to continue using the app. But Facebook said it is now pushing the date back so people can review and accept the terms. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on Feb. 8, Facebook added. People will “gradually” have the opportunity to review the policy “at their own pace” before new business options become available on May 15th.
Privacy updates caused “confusion,” WhatsApp said. Many users felt that the app would share more data, including messages, with Facebook.
Many users were concerned that the updated privacy policy indicated broader data access between WhatsApp and Facebook. But this is not the case. Since 2016, WhatsApp has shared certain data with Facebook, such as your phone number.
But WhatsApp or Facebook cannot see the content of the messages. This is because they are encrypted. That doesn’t change.
However, users concerned about their privacy sought out messaging apps rival Signal and Telegram. These two apps are marketed as privacy-focused and reported downloads increased.
On Saturday, Signal suffered an outage due to the influx of users. Signal said last week “it added new servers and additional capacity at a record pace” and the app was back online on Sunday.