WhatsApp clarifies doubts on its privacy policy update

By Team Newsable | First Published Jan 12, 2021, 1:06 PM IST

WhatsApp rolled out their new Privacy Policy, and as soon as the update came into being, alot of questions clouded our thoughts. To which WhatsApp solved a few.

WhatsApp declared that the policy update does not affect your private messages with your family and friends. The update is valid only in Business accounts, and that is too optional.

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No intervention of WhatsApp or Facebook regarding privacy of message

According to WhatsApp, neither they nor Facebook can read or hear a user's messages and calls with their family or friends or even colleagues. It will be protected with end-to-end encrypted message policy. And it hasn't been weakened and will never be.

No intervention in shared location
They won't be able to get the shared location address, as the user will send the address through chat which is end-to-end encrypted.

No sharing contacts with Facebook
WhatsApp said that when a user allows the new update, WhatsApp will access the phone numbers to make the messaging more reliable and faster. They further mentioned, "We don't share your contacts lists with the other apps Facebook offers."

Groups will remain private
Whatsapp said, "We use group membership to deliver messages and to protect our service from spam and abuse," and that it will be an end-to-end encrypted too.

Download your data or delete your message
Delete or disappear the message you want to, WhatsApp has nothing to do with it. A user can download and see what information does WhatsApp keep.

The main factor concerning business messaging
Facebook hosting services
Business chats are different from private chats. And, some businesses will need a place to host their services. So, as per the WhatsApp update, they said, "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."

New business feature
In this Covid-19 situation, people want to buy things online, and Facebook-branded dealing will show the products within WhatsApp so that a user can buy according to their choice. As per them, "If you choose to interact with Shops, your shopping activity can be used to personalize your Shops experience and the ads you see on Facebook and Instagram. Features like this are optional, and when you use them, we will tell you in the app how your data is being shared with Facebook.

How to identify a company
WhatsApp revealed, "You may see an ad on Facebook with a button to message a business using WhatsApp. If you have WhatsApp installed on your phone, you'll have the option to message that business. Facebook may use the way you interact with these ads to personalize the ads you see on Facebook."

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