The kerfuffle over the privacy policy that WhatsApp was seemingly forcing on its users seem to have calmed down the past few weeks. The Facebook-owned app eventually moved its original deadline to later this year to give its users more time to understand the new terms and policies and to also launch campaigns to counter the supposed misinformation going around. They will soon be displaying a banner on the app to give more correct information about the update and what it will mean for them.
The initial information that got out and spread like wildfire was that the new privacy policy would let its parent app Facebook have access to your WhatsApp conversations. Later on, they clarified that private conversations, whether one-on-one or group, will remain end-to-end encrypted, so WhatsApp and Facebook, or any other company will not have access to it. What they’re doing is bringing new ways to chat or shop with businesses and that is what will be connected to the businesses’ Facebook app.
Previously, they announced that they are using the Status feature to share more information about the new terms of service and privacy policy within the app. In the next few weeks, they will also be displaying banners within the app that will provide more information about this, including addressing some of the concerns that people have been talking about ever since the news broke out about a new policy.
Tech Crunch also reported that in an email to a merchant partner, they will be slowly asking users to comply with the new policy by May 15. And if users don’t accept it by then, there will be a “short period” or a few weeks where they will still be able to receive calls and notifications but cannot read or send messages. The WhatsApp policy for inactive users, which says accounts are deleted after 120 days of inactivity, will also apply after May 15.
We’ve already seen an “exodus” of WhatsApp users to Telegram and Signal so we’ll have to see if this information campaign will convince the remaining users to stay. As May 15 grows closer, we’ll probably hear more from them about this new privacy policy.
