Whatsapp - FILE
CAIRO – 18 January 2021: Over the past few days, Whatsapp has been trying hard to clear the air on their new privacy policy updates, which prompted users to criticize the app of violating privacy codes and sharing information and private messages with Facebook.
The new updates led to several boycotting campaigns and to many users moving to Signal, another cross-platform messaging application as an alternative to Whatsapp.
Users have voiced their anger and concerns over the updates, and started receiving a message with four highlights via Status post ensuring that their messages will remain protected. The status is a story that is shared and can be accessed through the Status tab, and disappears in 24 hours.
Users will see the four messages appear from a verified Whatsapp account with green background, reading:
– We are committed to your privacy
– WhatsApp can’t read or listen to your personal messages as they’re end-to-end encrypted
– WhatsApp can’t see your shared location
– WhatsApp doesn’t share your contacts
Through its blog and social media accounts, Whatsapp has been posting to explain that there is a “confusion” and “misinformation” around their recent update that caused all the concerns among users.
“We want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts,” said Whatsapp, explaining, through their blog, that they will always “protect users’ personal conversations with end-to-end encryption” and that the recent update provides new options to enable people to message businesses on Whatsapp.
The fast cross-platform centralized messaging app, which is widely used by friends and families, highlighted that the number of businesses using the platform is also on the rise, which required this update.
The backlash witnessed over the past days prompted further explanations and clarifications by Whatsapp, which took to social media to address what they considered as “rumors” posting a picture that says what both Whatsapp and Facebook can or cannot do with users’ information.
On Twitter, Whatsapp wrote: “Our privacy policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family.”
However, users responded to this as contradicting to their new policy.
WhatsApp cannot see your shared location? That seems to contradict your privacy policy - “We collect and use precise location information from your device with your permission when you choose to use location-related features, like when you decide to share your location...”
— Cat McGee (@CatMcGeeCode) January 12, 2021
“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8… We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” read their blog.
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