WhatsApp is making a change to its terms and conditions of use from May 15
The change affects the way WhatsApp allows businesses to communicate
Users cannot opt out and will lose access to their accounts if they don t agree
There is a separate privacy policy for WhatsApp users in Europe and the UK
Following the news, many users have jumped shipped to rival messaging apps, including Telegram and Signal
Everyone loves an underdog, almost always. There is an extra charm in winning a battle against all odds. That’s what is happening in the otherwise simplistic world of instant messaging apps, that you probably wasted a lot of time on every day but didn’t bother much about them beyond that. One PR debacle after another in quick succession for WhatsApp, no wonder its data guzzling habits are very much in focus of a large demographic of WhatsApp users around the world. Nothing that WhatsApp has done in the past few days has helped the user confidence, which has been shaken. It is no surprise then that WhatsApp users are downloading Telegram and Signal instant messaging apps, and in such large numbers that Signal has been the top downloaded app on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for quite a few days now, and Telegram is close behind on both platforms too.
WhatsApp Blames You For Falling For Misinformation, But Can It Keep Brushing Things Under The Carpet?
After what was a massive PR disaster, WhatsApp tried to do damage limitation by pushing back the implementation of the new privacy policy and terms of use. That is, pushed it back by three months. But not before the Facebook-owned WhatsApp made it clear in an official statement that pretty much puts the blame, and indeed the onus on us as users apparently thousands, if not millions, of users around the world are confused and misinformed about the update, and hence the confusion and misinformation. Apparently, there was nothing ever to be worried about. Too much ado about nothing. That is what WhatsApp would want you to believe.
WhatsApp’s New Policy: Why You Should Be Scared. Extremely Scared
WhatsApp’s privacy policy says, “Privacy and Security is in our DNA”. But the past of Facebook, its parent company, make us question its ‘DNA’.
Representational image. Astha Savyasachi 2021-01-15T10:33:27+05:30 WhatsApp’s New Policy: Why You Should Be Scared. Extremely Scared outlookindia.com 2021-01-15T10:53:34+05:30
Is data really ‘the new oil’? Well, not quite. While it is true that data fuels the digital economy, just like oil fueled the industrial economy, there are stark differences between the two.
For one, getting access to the oil reserves of a sovereign nation would probably involve an act of war. Whereas in the case of data, most people are quite happy to trade their privacy for access to digital services which allow them to network and connect with others. Besides, the privacy and data security terms listed out by these services are usually less th