The WhatsApp messaging app has now postponed the privacy update plan, following the growing controversy. Now on February 8, no WhatsApp account will be closed. The company will gradually implement the policy by 15 May. The company believes that by extending the policy time, users will get time to understand it.
WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook said that people have a lot of misunderstanding about the new update of the app, due to which the new update has been stopped at the moment.
Signal became the No. 1 messaging app in India last week after WhatsApp’s new policy was announced.
Whatsapp announced to push the policy through their blog
The company wrote in its blog, “We are taking forward the date in which users will be asked to read and accept the policy and conditions.” No account will be deleted or suspended on February 8. We will give clear information about our privacy and security policy and remove confusion among people. After this, the company will gradually ask people for their opinion on the new policy. The time has been fixed till May 15 for this. “
According to the New York Times report, after the privacy update was announced, many users and many media institutions linked it to the misuse of information. He said that after the new policy, WhatsApp will be able to read people’s chat and other personal data.
Growth of the Signal app has affected the company
After the announcement of WhatsApp’s new policy, people are moving to other messaging apps like Signal and Telegram. Signal became the No. 1 messaging app in India this week. Assuring people on these concerns, WhatsApp said, “After the new update, people will have many options. You just have to message a business and you will be explained in a very transparent way how WhatsApp uses your data.
Currently, very few people make purchases through WhatsApp, but the number of such people is going to increase in the future and it is good that people are already aware of these things. This update does not in any way allow us to share your data with Facebook. ‘
Web version of WhatsApp is also not safe: personal mobile numbers of users found in Google search
Another controversy has arisen regarding WhatsApp, which has come under attack with the new privacy policy. Now users’ mobile numbers are reported to be leaked through WhatsApp web. According to this, user’s numbers are visible during Google search.
Cyber security researcher Rajasekhar Rajharia has shared WhatsApp’s negligence on social media. He has shared two screenshots of Google search, in which users’ mobile numbers are clearly visible. He wrote – WhatsApp is not able to monitor its desktop or web version on Google.
Data leaking from web whatsapp
Rajharia said that users’ data is being leaked through Web WhatsApp. If a user is using WhatsApp on the laptop or desktop of the office, then his mobile numbers are coming on Google search. All these numbers belong to personal users. They do not include the number of business users.
This week, Rajahria had given information about the indexing of WhatsApp group chat invites on Google. At the time, more than 1,500 Group Invite links were present in the search results. Some of the links indexed by Google lead to the WhatsApp group sharing porn.
Petition against new WhatsApp policy
WhatsApp’s new data privacy policy has been challenged in the Delhi High Court. Advocate Chaitanya Rohilla has filed an application against it. It says that WhatsApp’s new policy is a violation of the right to privacy of the people of India. It is illegal to share user data.
It has been said in the application that the new policy means that online activity of people will always be monitored. All of this will happen without government oversight. Therefore, WhatsApp policy should be immediately stopped.
What is WhatsApp’s new policy?
WhatsApp users who upload, submit, store, send or receive content, the company can use it anywhere. The company can also share that data. This policy is coming into effect from 8 February 2021. It was previously claimed that if the user does not ‘Agree’ this policy, then after 8 February, he will not be able to use his account. However, the company later called it optional.
Cleaning the company – the user’s private messages will not be shared
The company gave clarification after the new policy was disputed. WhatsApp had said that the private message of the user is not threatened by this policy. That is, chats with friends or family will be safe all over. Only business accounts will come under the ambit of the new policy.
