The introduction of a new WhatsApp Privacy Policy after the latest update has revealed some terms and conditions, which are of great concern to privacy advocates.
Should you choose not to agree to the new T&C, you will no longer be able to use the app.
WhatsApp is by far one of the most widely used and popular instant messaging platforms. Owned by Facebook, the messaging service is known for its ease of use and features, such as free voice calls, video calls, voice messages and a lot more.
Since last Tuesday, many users have received a notification regarding the upcoming changes regarding the new privacy policy and how Facebook will utilise user data from now on.
The changes will come into effect from February 8, 2021, onwards. Some of the key changes in the update are quite significant. The updated WhatsApp Privacy Policy outlines the future processing of user data. How businesses can use the Facebook hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats, and how companies partner with Facebook.
If you choose not choose to consent to the new WhatsApp privacy policy, you will no longer be able to use the services from the 8th of February 2021.
The updated WhatsApp Privacy Policy clearly states why they need to harvest your personal information. “We collect information about your activity on our Services, like service-related, diagnostic, and performance information. This includes information about your activity (including how you use our Services, your Services settings, how you interact with others using our Services (including when you interact with a business), and the time, frequency, and duration of your activities and interactions), log files, and diagnostic, crash, website, and performance logs and reports.”
Whatsapp has not been an avenue to generate revenue for Facebook, since it was purchased several years ago. Despite a general acceptance that a change in privacy policy would lead to a huge reduction in users, due to very valid Privacy concerns, the company has nevertheless decided to push on with the intended plans to monatise Whatsapp user data.
Many people have now begun switching to the Privacy Focused Instant Messaging App known as Signal. This app has quickly become one of the top free apps in many countries.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and also now the richest man on the planet, has advised his Twitter followers to switch to Signal. This caused a huge surge in downloads.
Signal does not collect its user data in any way, while Whatsapp will now start collecting it's users data. Signal also only takes a users' contact numbers, while WhatsApp collects all data, phone numbers, contact list, location, messages etc.
If you're thinking whether or not you should change. All we can advise is that you should. We've championed the use of Signal for a good number of years now. The app is free, easy to use, and has practically all the same features as Whatsapp. More importantly the creators are not interested in monitising your personal data.