WhatsApp has reassured users about privacy at the Facebook-owned messaging service as people flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal following a tweak to its terms.
There was “a lot of misinformation” about an update to terms of service regarding an option to use WhatsApp to message businesses, Facebook executive Adam Mosseri, who heads Instagram, said in a tweet.
WhatsApp’s new terms sparked criticism, as users outside Europe who do not accept the new conditions before February 8 will be cut off from the messaging app.
WhatsApp that has been embroiled in a controversy over its updated privacy policy has seen an exodus of users to its rivals Signal and Telegram.
It has now gone on damage control mode. On Friday, it had stated that it will put the policies on hold for now.
On Sunday, WhatsApp came up with another simplistic way to explain its features to its users — WhatsApp Status.
When one goes to the status tab on the app, one can see the WhatsApp icon and its four posts, along with the statuses of one’s contacts.
The posts are pointers on the new policy. While one reads ‘We are committed to your privacy’, another reads, ‘WhatsApp can’t read or listen to your personal conversations as they’re end-to-end encrypted’.
Another post reads ‘WhatsApp can’t see your shared location’ and yet another reads ‘WhatsApp doesn’t share your contacts with Facebook’.
The messaging app reviewed its privacy policy and asked users to accept the terms and conditions by February 8. Following this the app faced severe backlash from its users and privacy advocates.
WhatsApp users flocked to its rival apps. Signal ended up garnering millions of users in weeks after the WhatsApp backlash.
