Amid global backlash over its upcoming privacy policy, WhatsApp has now moved back the date of implementation of the policy. WhatsApp users will now be asked to accept the chat app’s new terms sometime in May to continue using its services.
“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms,” WhatsApp wrote in a blog. The Facebook-owned app also confirmed that no accounts will be suspended on February 8, which was previously meant to be the case for those who do not accept the new terms of services.
WhatsApp says that there is a lot of misinformation being spread about the app’s policies. It will now aim to clear up those and reiterate how the app handles privacy and security for its users. It will then “go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace” before introducing new business options on May 15.
The three month delay in the rollout of the policy addresses massive criticism of the app’s upcoming policy update. WhatsApp users cried foul as the app readied its plan to share its user data with Facebook, its parent firm.
Now WhatsApp claims that the update does not bring in any such data sharing with Facebook. This platform exclusivity applies to personal conversations as well as profile information of WhatsApp users. The data, however, will be used to address business chats in the event a user converses with a company's customer service through WhatsApp Business.
As part of the criticism, millions of WhatsApp users migrated from it to rival chat apps including Telegram and Signal, skyrocketing their downloads on Android and iOS. With the push back for the update, WhatsApp now aims to salvage what is left of the service.
(Source: India Times)
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