WhatsApp Clarifies Concerns Related to its New Privacy Policy Update

If you lot haven't been living under a rock, yous would know that WhatsApp has faced a lot of backlash over its updated privacy policy over the past week. The company will starting time sharing data with its parent company, Facebook, next calendar month and there's no way out of information technology. You lot take to take the terms or lose access to WhatsApp. This has enraged privacy-conscious users and is seeing them switch abroad to more secure alternatives like Indicate and Telegram. This hullabaloo around its policy update has at present forced WhatsApp to accost rumors and further clarify its stance on data sharing.

WhatsApp Clarifies its Privacy Policy Update

Individual and Group chats are Encrypted

Through an official FAQ page, WhatsApp has decided to clear the doubts surrounding its updated privacy policy. "Nosotros desire to be clear that the policy update does not touch the privacy of your letters with friends or family in whatsoever fashion," says the messaging giant. Information technology still protects your individual messages with end-to-end encryption, every bit reiterated in the tweet you see below.

Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can read your private messages or hear your calls every bit they are cease-to-end encrypted. The visitor doesn't go on logs of who you message or call. It states that mobile operators traditionally save this information, but WhatsApp does not as saving data for two billion users volition be a huge security risk.

We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear nosotros continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption. picture show.twitter.com/6qDnzQ98MP

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) January 12, 2021

Tin can Facebook See your WhatsApp Contacts or Location?

Concerned WhatsApp can see your exact location or contact list? And will it share the aforementioned with Facebook to better target ads? The FAQ folio states that it cannot see your shared location. The messaging giant says the live location you share inside the app is as well end-to-end encrypted and merely visible to the sender and recipient.

As for your contacts list, WhatsApp states it "accesses simply the phone numbers from your address book to make messaging fast and reliable." It does non share the same with Facebook. Your grouping chats are as well said to be private and will not be used for targeting ads or abuse by 3rd-parties. You tin improve ensure privacy by setting the bulletin to disappear after 7 days. Information technology is a characteristic that WhatsApp introduced earlier final year as an added privacy mensurate.

Information Sharing Happens When y'all Interact with Businesses

WhatsApp says information technology has updated its terms to exist more transparent about the data it uses or collects from users. It brings changes to how businesses can handle data. So, the big question is – what data is WhatsApp planning to share with Facebook? Well, if you lot've read the updated privacy policy, you lot will know that businesses tin can shop your letters and it tin use the aforementioned for marketing purposes. If a business uses a third-party hosting service and so they too gain access to data, which in turn can share your data with their partners. Facebook is trying to avoid this and fix this privacy loophole by offering businesses to utilize its own hosting services.

When you employ the Facebook Shops characteristic, which is slowly being integrated into the WhatsApp Concern app, your shopping activity (how to interact with products or any business organisation) can be "used to personalize your feel." This feature is optional, which means you will willingly not contact businesses to not share any data with them or Facebook. We have explained the WhatsApp privacy policy update right here:

WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update: What Will Be Your Move?

So essentially, WhatsApp ways to say that it will share your data with Facebook if you cull to interact with businesses or shop via its messaging app. "You accept the option not to use these features" to keep businesses from saving chats, using your information for marketing purposes, sharing it with third-parties, and more than. Though business chats are clearly labeled, you will have to tread carefully to protect your information from beingness used by 3rd-parties.

Now that WhatsApp has clarified its stance, declaring that your personal chats are safe and end-to-cease encrypted, but your business chats can be stored and that data be used for ads or marketing purposes. Will you lot be making the switch away from WhatsApp to Signal or Telegram? Allow us know in the comments below.

If yous are planning to jump ship and exit WhatsApp by February viii, which is when the new privacy policy goes into effect, nosotros have a number of handy guides to assist you with the said transition. Y'all can detect these WhatsApp alternatives, comparisons with Signal and Telegram, and similar guides attached correct here: