Facebook presses pause on WhatsApp privacy policy change after backlash

What you need to know
- WhatsApp continues to grapple with the fallout from changes it plans on making to its privacy policy.
- The company has claimed that these changes are simply to further its growth in the e-commerce market and does not share any additional data with parent company Facebook.
- However, this new policy will no longer take effect in February but will be pushed back three months till May.
WhatsApp's planned privacy policy update have resulted in a powerful backlash towards both itself and Facebook over the past week. The new policy, for the unaware, will result in more data than some are comfortable with being shared among WhatsApp, Facebook, and other Facebook-owned companies.
The company has tried to clarify its position and has now been forced to backtrack on this imminent change. Users will now have an additional three months — till May — to review and adopt the new terms of service if they so choose. The company will also now try and allay concerns and "clear up misinformation" around its stance on data privacy.
As for the changes being made to its privacy policy. WhatsApp continues to defend them, saying:
With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, 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. 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.
In the meantime, the controversy around the app has driven downloads to rivals like Signal and Telegram, the latter of which has seen its daily active users shoot to 500 million following the backlash.
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Just gives me three more months to persuade everyone to shift to Signal or Telegram, so cheers for the breathing room Facebook.
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They figured no one reads consent forms....Then this. After the last couple of weeks Big tech doesn't want to realize that we'll jump if need be. So first Twitter now Facebook. What's Apple going to do to join the fray. Seems they all think alike anyway.
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I get the backlash... But then this is coming from people who are like street whores on the corner with their legs spread eagle. They are tied into all types of social media accounts... Have Gmail, Alexa, Google assistant, X Y Z, tinder, insta, tiktok, smart watches from God knows where, smart home devices, shopping trackers, music trackers, Netflix and blah blah blah from God knows where.. All sucking info out of them and "not sharing or selling it".. Wtf you complain over another one? Damn.
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WhatsApp has been MySpaced.
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Ha ha I'm so boring they will wish they hadn't wasted their time collecting my data! I spend 12 hours a night at work, sleep most of the day and shop at Aldi lol! I'll be inundated with bogof and 2 for 1 adverts on tins of beans 😂
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You think they'll push it back to May? Nope they will quietly integrate it in to the current app with out you knowing it.