- The controversial updates to the WhatsApp privacy policy will not roll out according to schedule, the company said today.
- Instead, the company will suspend implementation for at least three months.
- This change of plans is most likely the result of an intense setback for the users due to the changes.
Today, in an official blog post, WhatsApp announced that it will press ‘pause’ over the controversial updates to its privacy policy. The company said it wanted more time to clear up “the wrong information about how privacy and security work on WhatsApp.”
The delay will last at least three months. However, there are no plans to change the policy over time.
WhatsApp is in a big mess
The move is a direct response to the not-so-subtle setbacks of users associated with the changes in policy. In essence, the new WhatsApp privacy terms allow the company to take specific user data from WhatsApp and transfer it to other properties owned by Facebook, including the social network of the same name.
Related: Here’s how WhatsApp will share your data with other Facebook brands
When the privacy policy changes became known last week, the reaction from the public was downright cruel. It has started a huge exodus of users from WhatsApp to other encrypted messaging platforms including Telegram and Signal. In the case of the latter, its servers crashed earlier today in part due to the large increase in users.
In the blog post, the company says that none of its privacy-oriented features change. It states that this new policy is aimed at helping users connect with businesses, which they say is something that not many users do at present. However, it considers it the future of its platform and is ready to make the leap – even if the users are not.
In a poll posted here Android Authority, only about 10% of our readers said they were OK with the changes to the WhatsApp privacy policy. If you want to delete your WhatsApp account, we have step-by-step instructions here.