Whatsapp delays privacy update over Facebook data sharing concerns

Whatsapp delayed a privacy policy update that was scheduled for 8 February to mid-May over confusion and concerns about sharing users’ data with Facebook.

The update would add features that would allow users to message and interact with businesses on WhatsApp.

The privacy updates caused “confusion,” WhatsApp said, as many users understood that the app would be sharing data, including messages, with Facebook.

“We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There’s been a lot of misinformation causing concern and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

The main worry is that Facebook or businesses could even see user massages and could use the information for marketing purposes such as advertising on Facebook.

Since Facebook bought Whatsapp, there has been a certain amount of sharing of information. Whatsapp shared users phone numbers back in 2016 among other things.

But the contents of messages cannot be viewed by WhatsApp or Facebook. That’s because they are encrypted. That is not changing.

Nevertheless, the confusion could prove beneficial for rival messaging apps such as Signal or Telegram. Both of these apps market themselves as privacy-focused.