WhatsApp New Policy: Why This Update Is So Special?
On Tuesday, the Instant messaging app WhatsApp started sending updates to Indian WhatsApp users regarding their new terms and privacy policy. Whatsapp will be implementing its privacy policy from 8 February. It has also been clarified that the accounts of users who do not accept the term and conditions will be deleted.
Why this update in Policy is important?
In the new policy, WhatsApp is asking your permission for the integration of data with Facebook and Instagram. When you accept the policy, Facebook will have more data of users than before. Under the new policy of Whatsapp, the data of users will be shared, which will include account information, message connections, status information, device details, location, and transaction, etc. All this information will be shared with Facebook and other services. Along with this, the company has also made it clear that the information about the message connection of the users will be shared and not the details of its message. That is, the messages of the users will be completely safe.
There is nothing new in the new privacy policy of WhatsApp. WhatsApp has been sharing users' data with Facebook and third-party apps in the past. But this time, the company is announcing it and doing it with your consent and with the rules and regulations. This will save the company from legal stalking. The company has made it clear that the time till 8 February 2021, people who do not agree to the new terms, will have to delete their accounts.
What Netizens Saying
WhatsApp started trending on Twitter soon after users reported getting the message about its changed policies. Netizens started sharing memes as well as talking about the privacy of users. Many users on Twitter are now caressing each other to discontinue WhatsApp and shift to other encrypted messengers such as Signal and Telegram.
This trend started getting lots of eyeballs as soon as popular people start tweeting about it. Elon Musk, Tesla, SpaceX and Boring Company CEO, tweeted, “Use Signal”.
Acknowledging the privacy issue of WhatsApp on Twitter, Signal wrote, “Verification codes are currently delayed across several providers because so many new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement). We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible. Hang in there.”
What WhatsApp Has To Say
Whatsapp has clarified through its blog that under the new privacy policy, users have to share their Whatsapp details with Facebook. According to the blog, 'many businesses rely on Whatsapp to communicate with their customers. We are working closely with businesses that use Facebook or third party to improve communication with users. For this, it will be mandatory for the users to share the data of their transactions’
In its updated privacy policy, WhatsApp stated that it does not allow third-party banner ads and has no intention to introduce them. “We still do not allow third-party banner ads on our Services. We have no intention to introduce them, but if we ever do, we will update this Privacy Policy,” the policy states.
“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA”. “Since we started WhatsApp, we’ve built our services with a set of strong privacy principles in mind,” it added.
