WhatsApp to press ahead with reform amid the backlash
"WhatsApp is moving ahead with significant improvements to its terms of use but changing the way customers are alerted amid a backlash."
The Facebook-owned platform previously said it had been the victim of misinformation around the change. But WhatsApp now says it has reflected on how it could have explained the changes better. The phrasing of the warning in the initial push led to widespread fears that it was going to share large amounts of WhatsApp data with Facebook. In reality, very little had changed in that area. Almost all users had previously accepted the type of data sharing involved. As part of its second attempt to convince users, WhatsApp will begin displaying a banner alert within the app in the coming weeks. It encourages users to learn more about the update and what is - and is not - changing. Messages informing users of the update will also be displayed in the Status section of the app. The new terms are scheduled to come into effect on 15 May.
WhatsApp says the data it shares with its parent company does not include messages, groups, or call logs. Instead, it says the new terms focus on changes to allow users to message businesses. WhatsApp already shares information with Facebook, such as your IP address and information about your phone, as well as purchases made via the platform. However, this does not apply in Europe and the UK, where different privacy laws exist. But privacy experts mention the saga highlights how unaware users are of how their data is being used. In its attempts to demonstrate that it is not doing anything wrong, Whatsapp has in turn unwittingly found out that it is actually storing massive volumes of data for Facebook. That vindicates those who decided to leave Whatsapp, he said. "The biggest takeaway from all of this is that Whatsapp was already harvesting device level identifiers, IP addresses, and purchase info on behalf of Facebook - and that until recent media attention, the general public was largely unaware."
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Whatsapp was focusing on what they could do differently here. They want you to know their experience of defending end-to-end encryption and believe that they are committed to protecting people's privacy and protection. They're still trying to do a lot better to be transparent on developments in the future. In January, government officials in India ordered the networking giant to withdraw the proposed reforms.
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