{"id":156009,"date":"2021-01-16T11:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/whatsapp-delays-it-privacy-policy-update-by-three-months\/"},"modified":"2021-01-16T11:00:32","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T08:00:32","slug":"whatsapp-delays-it-privacy-policy-update-by-three-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whatsapp-delays-it-privacy-policy-update-by-three-months\/","title":{"rendered":"#WhatsApp delays it privacy policy update by three months"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#WhatsApp<\/a> delays it privacy policy update by three months<\/strong>”
\n<\/p>\n

\n After a ton of backlash and user exodus, WhatsApp is delaying the rollout of its controversial privacy policy by three months. Instead of applying the new privacy policy on February 8, the chat app will now apply it on May 15.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the company said that it\u2019s going to make an extra effort to educate people about the app\u2019s privacy and security practices:<\/p>\n

We\u2019re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8. We\u2019re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We\u2019ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Does it really matter if the company is not making changes to the policy? Probably not. But first, let\u2019s rewind a little and look at what\u2019s happened in the past couple of weeks.<\/p>\n

In the first week of the year, WhatsApp started notifying users that a new privacy policy will take place on February 8, and if they don\u2019t accept it, their account will be deactivated.<\/p>\n

The policy mainly focused on providing leeway for the app\u2019s possible integration and data sharing with other Facebook services, and laying out a framework for businesses to chat with customers. While it didn\u2019t mean to say \u201cwe want to share your data with Facebook,\u201d it lined out how much data potentially the app can collect.<\/p>\n

This change drove people to move away from WhatsApp and adopt other apps such as Telegram and Signal. Both have had tens of millions of people downloading their apps in the past week or so. Telegram has breached the 500 million active user mark while Signal hit 50 million installs<\/a> on the Play Store.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, WhatsApp wrote a one-pager explaining the privacy policy<\/a> in detail, but it didn\u2019t really elaborate on any questionable issue. Now, the company has said it\u2019s delaying its privacy policy update, but it isn\u2019t going to change much unless data sharing with Facebook is made optional, and there are more privacy-related features to control your data.<\/p>\n

If WhatsApp wants to win people moving to other apps back, it needs to redefine its privacy policy and find non-intrusive ways to earn money.<\/p>\n

Did you know we have a news<\/a>letter all about consumer tech? It\u2019s called Plugged In \u2013
\n and you can subscribe to it right here<\/a>.
\n <\/i><\/p>\n

\n Published January 16, 2021 \u2014 08:00 UTC<\/p><\/div>\n