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The implementation of the new privacy policy will be delayed by three months announced Whatsapp, amid massive backlash with tens of millions of its users moving to platform like Signal and Telegram.
The policy change was originally scheduled to come into force on 8 February 2021. The update does not affect sharing data with Facebook with regard to personal conversations or other profile information and only addresses business chats in the event a user uses the company's customer service platform through WhatsApp, it made itself clear.
"We've heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There's been a lot of misinformation causing concern and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts," was clarified in the company's blog.
"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 added further.
"The update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and it's important people are aware of these services. This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook." The company said it is planning to reschedule its new privacy policy implementation and no one's account will get suspended or deleted on 8 February 2021.
"We're also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We'll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on 15 May 2021," it said.
A separate new blog post was released by the company trying to clear up the misunderstanding, and includes a chart that specifies what information is protected when someone uses WhatsApp. Facebook executives which include Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart, also used Twitter to try and clear up the confusion regarding the new policy.
Poor privacy track record of Facebook, in addition to WhatsApp sights on monetising the platform for its large international user base, has tinted the trust in the app, which, led to a simple update into a global controversy.
WhatsApp is now planning to use the three-months delay to better communicate both the changes in its new policy and its long-standing privacy practices.
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