WhatsApp Delays Controversial ‘Data-Sharing’ Privacy Policy Update By 3 Months

WhatsApp said on Friday that it wouldn’t enforce its recently
announced controversial data sharing policy^[1] update until May 15.

Originally set to go into effect next month on February 8, the
three-month delay comes following “a lot of misinformation” about a
revision to its privacy policy that allows WhatsApp to share data
with Facebook, sparking widespread concerns about the exact kind of
information that will be shared under the incoming terms.

The Facebook-owned company has since repeatedly clarified that
the update does not expand its ability to share personal user chats
or other profile information with Facebook and is instead simply
providing further transparency about how user data is collected and
shared when using the messaging app to interact with
businesses.

“The update includes new options people will have to message a
business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how
we collect and use data,” WhatsApp said^[2]
in a post.

“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.”

On January 6, WhatsApp began alerting^[3]
its 2 billion users of a new privacy policy and terms as part of
its broader efforts to integrate WhatsApp better with other
Facebook products and amidst its plans to transform^[4]
WhatsApp into a commerce and business services^[5] provider.

Under the proposed terms — which are about how businesses manage
their chats on WhatsApp using Facebook’s hosting services^[6] — WhatsApp would share
additional data with Facebook such as phone number, service-related
information, IP address, and transaction data for those who use the
business chat feature.

The pop-up notification also gave users an ultimatum to accept
the new policy by February 8 or risk losing their ability to use
the app altogether.

The confusion surrounding the update, coupled with no other
option to disagree beyond shutting down the account, has led to
further scrutiny in India^[7], Italy^[8], and Turkey^[9], not to mention an
exodus of users to privacy-focused messaging competitors such as
Signal and Telegram.

In the intervening days, Signal has become one of the most
downloaded apps on Android and iOS, in part boosted by a tweet from
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who urged his followers to “Use Signal.”
Earlier this week, Telegram said^[10] that it surpassed the
500 million active user mark, gaining over 25 million new users
worldwide in 72 hours.

It’s worth noting that WhatsApp has in fact shared some user
account information with Facebook since 2016, such as phone
numbers, except for those who opted out of the sharing when it
revamped the privacy policy that year and gave users a one-time
ability not to have their account data turned over to Facebook.

WhatsApp, in a separate FAQ^[11] published this week,
tried to set the record straight by stressing that it “see your
personal messages or hear your calls, and neither can Facebook,”
and that it does not share users’ contacts and location information
to its parent company.

With the company walking back some of its previous messaging, it
remains to be seen if the extra time will help it tide over the
controversy and help it “clear up the misinformation around how
privacy and security works on WhatsApp.”