WhatsApp has delayed the rollout of its updated privacy policy in a bid to clear the concerns among its users worldwide.
Users of the instant messaging app will now have more time to accept the new terms instead of the earlier date of February 8, 2021.
WhatsApp came under scrutiny after it revealed the updated policy earlier this month raising concern among its users about data privacy and whether the parent company — Facebook — and third party service providers will have access to user data.
Competing applications such as Telegram and Signal gained as users started looking for alternatives, prompting WhatsApp to allay the concerns, including on suspension of accounts if a user does not agree to the new terms.
“We are 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 are also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We will then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” said WhatsApp in a blog post.
The post said WhatsApp protects personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see private messages among users. “It’s why we don’t keep logs of who everyone’s messaging or calling. We also can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook,” the post said.
The policy provides further transparency about how the platform collects and uses data for business on WhatsApp.
“While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and it’s important people are aware of these services.”
This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook," the blog post said.
WhatsApp also said that it is committed to "defend" the end-to-end encryption technology now and in the future.