WhatsApp Says Privacy Policy Update Doesn¡¯t Affect Privacy Of Your Messages

WhatsApp has not been having a good week. After it notified users of the change in its terms and privacy policy, sending alarm bells ringing among privacy advocates, it saw several users make the switch to competing texting platforms such as Signal and Telegram.

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However now, WhatsApp has gone ahead and issued a clarification, through an official statement, assuring its users that the new policies don¡¯t put their privacy out of the equation.

WhatsApp revealed this in an FAQ post that it shared on Twitter, ¡°We recently updated our Privacy Policy and we have received many thoughtful questions. With some of the rumours going around, we want to answer some of the common questions we have received. We go to great lengths to build WhatsApp in a way that helps people communicate privately.¡±

WhatsApp added, ¡°We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data.¡±

Twitter: WhatsApp

Sharing data with Facebook

WhatsApp has further iterated how it deals with our data. It revealed that WhatsApp cannot see private messages or hear conversations on calls, and neither can Facebook.

WhatsApp also revealed that it doesn¡¯t keep logs of people who text or call each other. It does not share contacts on your smartphone with Facebook. Neither can it share location data with Facebook.

It also reiterated that groups on WhatsApp will remain private. Moreover, it also reminded people that if they¡¯re worried about privacy, they also have the option to send disappearing messages. And if they choose to exit from the platform, they can go and download the data.

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Dealing with Businesses on WhatsApp

WhatsApp in its statement has also revealed that it will always be transparent if a business is using features laid out by WhatsApp or Facebook. It gave an example of Facebook hosting services which are used by companies to communicate with their customers -- how they¡¯re different from us texting our friends or family.

It explains, ¡°Some large businesses need to use hosting services to manage their communication. Which is why we¡¯re giving businesses the option to use secure hosting services from Facebook to manage WhatsApp chats with their customers, answer questions, and send helpful information like purchase receipts. But whether you communicate with a business by phone, email, or WhatsApp, it can see what you¡¯re saying and may use that information for its own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook. To make sure you¡¯re informed, we clearly label conversations with businesses that are choosing to use hosting services from Facebook.¡±

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WhatsApp also spoke about shopping on the platform when they come across catalogues of goods to purchase how data surrounding the shopping activity can be collected to personalize the experience for the user, however, they will be informed about the data being shared with Facebook beforehand.

Thirdly it revealed that in case someone clicks a brand advert button saying ¡®Message business using WhatsApp¡¯ button on Facebook to connect with a particular business, Facebook can use the way they interact with the advert to personalize the ads they see on the platform.