WhatsApp has begun to use status messages to remind its users of the messaging service’s “commitment to your privacy” after the recent confusion over changes to its privacy policy last month.
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“WhatsApp is now on Status”, the message begins. “We will notify you about new features and updates here. One thing that is not new is our commitment to your privacy. WhatsApp cannot read or listen to your personal conversations because they are end-to-end encrypted. Stay tuned. be informed for more updates! “
The Stories-style in-app posts appeared to users in the US and UK this weekend, while users in India have reportedly been receiving them for longer. In a statement to The edge, WhatsApp explained the reason behind the move:
“There is a lot of misinformation and confusion surrounding our recent update and we want to help everyone understand the facts behind how WhatsApp protects people’s privacy and security,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told The Verge. “In the future, we’re going to give people updates to the Status tab so people can hear directly from WhatsApp. end encryption. “
WhatsApp first announced its new terms of use early last month, and the changes at the time suggested that WhatsApp would share additional data with Facebook, such as phone number, service-related information, IP address, and transaction details. WhatsApp has since made it clear that the update will not affect data sharing with Facebook in terms of user chats or profile information, with the new terms applying instead to those using the business chat feature.
Via posts on social media, WhatsApp has assured users that the update to the privacy policy does not affect the privacy of messages. It has also added to its FAQ to address users’ privacy concerns related to sharing data with Facebook.
However, that hasn’t stopped an exodus of millions of users of the service to rival messaging apps like Telegram and Signal, both of which have quickly turned the situation to their advantage.
Telegram has since added the ability for users to import their chat history from WhatsApp so they don’t lose any old conversations, while Signal recently got an update with some new features clearly designed to appeal to former WhatsApp users.
Due to the confusion, WhatsApp says it has chosen to postpone the new privacy policy changes for three months, but it is not deleting them.