WhatsApp has now reversed its decision to limit the app functionality for all such users who don’t agree with the recently updated privacy policy.
In the previous month, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced that the users would lose functionality if they didn’t accept the new privacy policy by May 15th. The app said that the users who refused to accept the updates will find reminders for a few weeks and gradually after some time the dialed back functions like accessing chat lists won’t be possible.
The company in its FAQ said:
”After a few weeks of limited functionality, you won’t be able to receive the incoming calls or notifications and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls to your phone.”
But now, in a reversal, Facebook says that it has changed its plan. The users won’t see limited functionality nor their accounts will be deleted if they don’t accept the privacy policy. However, the company has decided that they’ll continue to display the notification about the policy. It will provide information about the privacy update and will remind those users who haven’t reviewed or accepted it. But, the company made it clear that they have no plans to limit the app functionality.
WhatsApp released its new privacy policy at the start of the year and faced severe backlash from the users. People worry that the new policy weakens the encryption and more of their personal data will be shared with Facebook.
The policy doesn’t change the fact that all the personal messages between the users remain encrypted. It also means that only the recipient can read them. Rather, it relates to messages sent to businesses running via WhatsApp. Such messages may get stored on Facebook’s servers and the data may later be utilized for advertising purposes.
The privacy policy controversy resulted in the surges in new users of the rival messaging apps Signal and Telegram. Users in bulk started to switch to these apps to enjoy more online security and protection. Signal witnessed nearly 7.5 million downloads through the Apple and Google Play Store between Jan 6 and Jan 10.
Meanwhile, Telegram saw 5.6 million downloads during the starting days of January. In response to all the backlash, WhatsApp decided that it would delay the introduction of its new privacy policy by three months.
This wasn’t the first time when WhatsApp was going to share user data with Facebook. In 2016, WhatsApp announced that it will share a limited amount of user data with the parent company Facebook. The data includes individuals’ contact numbers. The company believes that by sharing the data Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and deliver more appropriate ads on the social media platforms.
