WhatsApp Delays Privacy Changes Amid User Exodus

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 01/15/21 | News Source: NY Times

SAN FRANCISCO — WhatsApp said on Friday that it would delay a planned privacy update, as the Facebook-owned messaging service tries to stem an exodus of users worried about the changes.

WhatsApp said it would push back the changes, to May 15 from Feb. 8, to give users more time to review what it planned to do.

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This month, WhatsApp notified its users that it would give them new options to message businesses using the service and was updating its privacy terms. WhatsApp’s notification said users would have to accept the new terms by February or no longer have access to their accounts. Though little was actually changing, the company still needed user approval.

Many users and some media outlets interpreted the notification as a marked shift in WhatsApp’s data-sharing practices, mistakenly believing that the company could now read peoples’ conversations and other personal data. Misinformation spread through the service, touching users around the world. Read more at NY Times