Following backlash, WhatsApp to show in-app banner explaining privacy policy
February 19, 2021
WhatsApp is making another attempt to curb the backlash it faced over changes to its privacy policy and terms of service: over the coming weeks, it will display a banner in WhatsApp with information about the changes, the company announced in a blog post. The company had earlier deferred the implementation of its policy by three months—to May 15—in a bid to buy more time from the fallout, which saw two legalchallenges, and the company being reprimanded by India’s IT Ministry.
WhatsApp announced changes to its privacy policy in January that led to widespread debate, as the changes amount to a deeper integration between the messaging app and Facebook’s other verticals. The policy—which is mandatory for users to accept—said that the service will use a device’s IP address, and other information like phone number area codes to estimate their general location, even if a user doesn’t use the its location-related features. Businesses that users interact with on the platform may share information about their interactions with users, with Facebook.