Recently, every Whatsapp user got an in house update in regards to terms and conditions. This intrusive update was made compulsory as users who deny it will lose access to their account. This update that most of us accepted mindlessly will give Whatsapp to share information with its owner company Facebook.
A lot of furious Whatsapp users have shown their concerns towards this update since Facebook has been unpopular for privacy breaches. Whatsapp has come up with clarifications to rectify the situation.
Clarification By Whatsapp
In its defense, the Facebook owned messaging app issued a statement saying it is just another usual update, “The WhatsApp Privacy Policy update besides covering the improvements and innovations in WhatsApp’s features and functionalities that help businesses also includes information that WhatsApp receives and shares, as part of Facebook Companies. This data helps us improve services, user experiences, infrastructure, and delivery systems. It also promotes safety, security, and integrity. The update is standard ‘business as usual’, as for any tech business and has been outlined on our website since long,”
It also clarified that Facebook will come into the picture only in case of business related conversations, “With regards to business messaging, we are not mandating users to share data. Every user will be notified within the chat if the business they are talking to has chosen to use Facebook to manage and store their WhatsApp messages,” it said.
Whatsapp Payment Policies
For a while, India’s most popular messaging app has been experimenting with online payment embedded in the app. Addressing a query, the messenger has assured that the updates in privacy policy apply only to Whatsapp chat and not the payments since there are different policies to govern that. Hence any kind of payment related details related to UPI transactions won’t be shared with Facebook.
The company kept stressing the fact that the updates are introduced considering growing business conversation on the app, “While most people use WhatsApp to chat with friends and family, increasingly people are reaching out to businesses as well. To further increase transparency, we updated the privacy policy,”
Moreover, some of the popular personalities like Elon Musk, Edward Snowden and Jack Dorsey have come forward expressing their concerns. Musk, recently announced as the world’s richest man, recommended against using WhatsApp through a simple tweet saying
Signal is another messaging app like Whatsapp and Telegram but is smaller and more encrypted. After Elon Musk’s endorsement, the app actually saw 100,000 users downloading it from Google Play Store and App Store.
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