Facing backlash, WhatsApp to delay new privacy policy by three months

Facing backlash, WhatsApp to delay new privacy policy by three months

• By Staff Writer

Facing backlash, WhatsApp to delay new privacy policy by three months

WhatsApp has pushed implementing its new privacy policy to May 15 from February 8 after backlash from users who switched to rival messaging apps such as Signal.

"No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8," the WhatsApp said in a blog post. " We're also going to do a lot more to clear up the disinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people moderately to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15."

India is the largest market in terms of users for WhatsApp with over 400 million people who use the messaging app to communicate with their friends and family. The in-app update to users had mandated them to either accept the terms of service and privacy policy or lose access to chats. The move had caused users to move away from Facebook and its platforms.

Rival messaging app Signal beat not only WhatsApp but also Facebook and Instagram in weekly India downloads, perhaps pointing to increasing concern over the data sharing policies of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant, ET reported on January 14.

While Signal was downloaded 3.3 million times in the January 5-11 period, WhatsApp saw 1.7 million downloads, Facebook 2.1 million downloads, and Instagram 2.3 million during the same period, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower’s data.

Read: WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian Acton

WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram downloads saw a sharp fall in India during the week compared with the previous week. WhatsApp downloads fell 39% in the January 5-11 period versus a week earlier. Facebook downloads fell 19% and Instagram downloads fell 34%.

The messaging app clarified that it had end-to-end encryption and the update does not expand its ability to share data with Facebook.

"WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. It’s why we don’t keep logs of who everyone’s messaging or calling. We also can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook," it said.

With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, the update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further clarity about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that extra people will choose to do so in the future and it’s important people are aware of these services. This update does not enlarge our ability to share data with Facebook," the blog on Friday night said.

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