WhatsApp pushes May 15 deadline for Indians to accept the New Privacy Policy; New deadline not announced

Messaging platform WhatsApp has scrapped its May 15 deadline for users to accept its controversial privacy policy update. According to the PTI report, it has said that not accepting the terms will not lead to the deletion of accounts. A WhatsApp spokesperson even confirmed the same..

"No accounts will be deleted on May 15 for not accepting the policy update. We’ve spent the last few months working to clear up confusion and misinformation. Our goal is to provide information about new options we are building that people will have, to message a business on WhatsApp, in the future," a WhatsApp spokesperson said. "While the majority of users who have received the new terms of service have accepted them, we appreciate some people haven’t had the chance to do so yet."

"No accounts will be deleted on May 15 because of this update and no one in India will lose the functionality of WhatsApp either," the spokesperson reassured. "We will follow up with reminders to people over the next several weeks. We’re grateful for the important role it plays in people’s lives and we’ll take every opportunity to explain how we protect people’s personal messages and private information."

A Background

WhatsApp updated its terms of service in January. It informed the users that it will share information from their interactions with business accounts, Facebook and third parties. The New Privacy Policy also asked users to either agree or discontinue using the platform. The company had delayed the adoption of the new privacy policy to 15 May from 8 February.

According to an open poll for users, titled – “What is your hot take on Whats App Privacy Policy?” asked users to choose one out of these three options:

• WhatsApp Privacy is a myth, I have shifted to alternatives

• Keep using WhatsApp, nothing is private anymore

• Unsure; I have to read more about the problem

Through the random poll, 64% of the users went for the second option. They chose to keep using the app as “nothing is private anymore”. Other 28% of the respondents stated that they have already shifted to alternatives.

What data does WhatsApp share with Facebook?

In January, the app introduced a privacy policy update. It talked about how we have to allow the app to share our commercial data with Facebook. The update also confirmed that the companies can use the data for cybersecurity as well as targeted advertising and personalized content on the main app. The company maintains that the latest Privacy Policy enables users with the following business-related options:

• Enabling customer service through the platform in terms of chatting with business or asking questions.

• Personalised ads for users based on the ads they click on Facebook on Instagram; helping users chatting with those business owners through a dedicated WhatsApp icon.

• Some businesses with a shop on Facebook or Instagram can also have shops on their WhatsApp business profile. This will allow users to see a business’s products on Facebook and Instagram and shop from them directly through WhatsApp.