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- WhatsApp is delaying rollout of a new policy for three months that some critics say would pass user data to Facebook.
- Users were originally required to accept or decline the policy change on February 8 and will no longer have to do so until May 15.
- WhatsApp said the delay was due to “confusion” and “misinformation” surrounding the new policy, which it said “will not increase our ability to share data with Facebook.”
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
WhatsApp is delaying changes to its privacy policy that critics say forced users to share personal data with Facebook, according to a company blog post on Friday.
The delay was due to “confusion” and “misinformation” surrounding the new policy, according to the company. He said the new policy update only included new options for people to run their business on WhatsApp and “does not extend our ability to share data with Facebook.”
The date for the rollout of the new policy will be pushed back to May 15, according to the blog post. WhatsApp also said that nobody’s account would be suspended or deleted on February 8, when the policy was originally supposed to go into effect.
The announcement comes two weeks after WhatsApp announced the new change, drawing criticism from users of the messaging app concerned about their data privacy. After the new policy was announced, many users started flocking to other messaging platforms, such as the Signal encrypted chat app. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even tweeted to “use the signal.”
On Monday, WhatsApp attempted to respond to the outcry over privacy concerns by posting a post on its website explaining that the update was designed to help businesses on its platform, as it reiterated in the report. Friday message.
“We want to be clear that the policy update does not in any way affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family. Instead, this update includes messaging related changes. of a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides additional transparency on how we collect and use data, ”WhatsApp said.
Read more: Signal CEO reveals how he became a hot WhatsApp alternative with no venture capital or business plan
Signal recorded 7.5 million downloads last week, a peak of 4,200% from the previous week. Signal was at the top of the Google and Apple app stores on Wednesday. Numerous users have also migrated to Telegram – the platform gained 9 million new users last week, up 91% from the previous week, and also tops the app stores of Google and the UK. ‘Apple.
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