- WhatsApp is delaying the implementation of a new policy by three months which, according to some critics, will transfer user data to Facebook.
- Users would originally choose the policy change in or out on February 8 and will now no longer need it on May 15.
- WhatsApp said the delay was due to ‘confusion’ and ‘misinformation’ surrounding the new policy, which we believe will ‘not extend our ability to share data with Facebook’. ‘
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WhatsApp is delaying the changes to the privacy policy that critics have forced users to share personal data with Facebook, according to a blog blog by the company published Friday.
According to the company, the delay was due to the ‘confusion’ and ‘incorrect information’ surrounding the new policy. The new policy update only includes new options for people to run their business on WhatsApp and “does not extend our ability to share data with Facebook.”
According to the blog post, the date of the new policy development will be pushed back to May 15th. WhatsApp also said no one’s account would be suspended or deleted on February 8, when the policy would originally take effect.
The announcement comes two weeks after WhatsApp announced the new change, and attracted criticism from users of the messaging app who were concerned about their data privacy. After the new policy was announced, many users started streaming to alternative messaging platforms, such as the encrypted chat program Signal. Tesla CEO Eles Musk even tweeted to ‘use signal’.
WhatsApp on Monday attempted to address the uproar over privacy issues with a post on its website and explained that the update is designed to help businesses on its platform, as repeated in Friday’s post.
“We want to make it clear that the policy update does not in any way affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family. Instead, this update contains changes related to the messages to a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and offers it transparency about how we collect and use data, ‘WhatsApp said.
Read more: Signal CEO reveals how it has become a red-hot alternative to WhatsApp without venture capital or a business plan
Signal downloaded 7.5 million downloads last week, an increase of 4,200% since the previous week. Signal was at the top of both Google and Apple’s app stores on Wednesday. Large numbers of users also migrated to Telegram – the platform gained 9 million new users last week, 91% higher than the previous week, and it is also at the top of Google and Apple’s app stores.