WhatsApp buys bulk newspaper ads to calm Indian users as downloads slip Details 15 January 2021
WhatsApp has rushed to calm Indian consumers amidst the hullabaloo that came along with its recent privacy update. The company rolled out advertisements in at least 10 English and Hindi newspapers, Reuters reported, announcing that its respect for consumers’ privacy “is coded into [its] DNA” and that the policy update does not impact the privacy of users’ messages with their friends and family “in any way”. It also specified that the privacy policy changes only concern users’ interactions with businesses.
When approached for a statement, WhatsApp s spokesperson directed
Meanwhile, the update offers businesses the option to store and manage their chats with customers using Facebook s secure hosting infrastructure, reducing onboarding time and improving response rate.
WhatsApp has informed its more than two billion users that they will need to agree to a new policy allowing it to share data with its parent company, Facebook. The move has prompted concerns about how the data might be used, but WhatsApp maintains the information collected will not include the content of messages. SCMP
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog on Jan 11 urged WhatsApp to delay a Feb 8 deadline for users to agree to controversial new terms – namely having their personal data shared with its parent company Facebook – or face being blocked from key features on the messaging service.
Defending its privacy policy, WhatsApp has insisted “no additional data” other than what it already collects will be shared with Facebook under the change. But many of the city’s users have nonetheless switched, or are considering switching, to other alternatives such as Telegram and Signal.