There has been much of a fuss about WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, with rumors suggesting that the messaging app will ‘invade’ our privacy and share our information with Facebook, which then, will sell it to the companies advertising with the platform.
What infuriated the users was the term that they have until February 8, 2021, to either accept this new policy or delete their WhatsApp accounts. This particular ‘term’ backfired and people began migrating to other similar apps like Signal and Telegram.
The mention of sharing of data with Facebook without giving away more details also gave rise to a lot of false information.
After an ongoing debate for nearly two weeks, the messaging app has come out to debunk the false information. Here is some of the misinformation around WhatsApp’s new policy that you should not believe.
Question: Does WhatsApp shares my messages with Facebook?
Answer: No! It doesn’t. WhatsApp says in its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that it doesn’t share your private chats with family or friends on Facebook. They are still end-to-end-encrypted.
“We do not retain your messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services to you. Instead, your messages are stored on your device and not typically stored on our servers. Once your messages are delivered, they are deleted from our servers,” adds the WhatsApp policy.
Also, it doesn’t store your messaging or calling details.
WhatsApp Head, Will Cathcart, also wrote a thread on Twitter trying to clarify the issue.
“With end-to-end encryption, we cannot see your private chats or calls, and neither can Facebook. We’re committed to this technology and committed to defending it globally.”
It should be noted here that WhatsApp is using the same end-to-end encryption protocol as Signal, the app that many are now turning towards.
Question: Does WhatsApp share my location with Facebook?
Answer: Yes, but only approximate location information, which is available to almost every app in your phone that requires the feature to operate. Foodpanda, for instance.
Explanation: However, if you share your exact location with a friend or family, that information is not transmitted to Facebook. The FAQs have already cleared the air on it.
The content you share with your friends, family, and colleagues over WhatsApp in the form of pictures, videos, and audio files are a part of your chat history and remain end-to-end encrypted.
Question: Does WhatsApp record and track my audio/video calls?
Answer: No.
Explanation: As mentioned earlier, all your messages, media, audio, video calls remain end-to-end encrypted, and WhatsApp or Facebook have no access to your personal information.
Question 6: Does WhatsApp store my messages?
Answer: No. WhatsApp doesn’t store any of that information. You are, however, free to backup your data with third-parties like Google Drive or Apple iCloud. This is why when you install WhatsApp on a new phone, your chat history does not automatically sync, as is the case with Messenger or Instagram.
Question: Will WhatsApp show ads?
Answer: Not yet.
Explanation: The policy had this answer already. It says WhatsApp will continue to be an ad-free messaging service, and that users will be informed about the ads via Privacy Policy update if they ever decide to allow ads in the future.
We still do not allow third-party banner ads on our Services. We have no intention to introduce them, but if we ever do, we will update this Privacy Policy.
Is WhatsApp still safe for use?
With the above-mentioned myths busted, WhatsApp still remains under scrutiny, mainly because of its relationship with the parent company Facebook, which has a dubious record when it comes to privacy. Despite a commendable effort to debunk the myths, users are still concerned about their privacy on the platform.
This leaves users with two options. One is to trust the old partner and stay on the platform. The second is to migrate to other similar apps like Signal and Telegram. Both applications are available on the Play Store and Apple Store.
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