You are No Longer Safe

 When you read this title, what did you think this meant for you?

 

If you followed recent trends, you must have read news that between now and February 8, 2021 WhatsApp will force you to agree to its new privacy policy or else lose access to the app, your chats and contacts.

 

Sadly, agreeing to the terms will mean that your private data and phone number will be shared with Facebook, which owns WhatsApp. This update comes in the form of an in-app notification, which you can choose to ignore until the date arrives. By tapping Agree, you automatically accept the new terms. After this date, you’ll need to accept the new terms to continue using WhatsApp.

 

Privacy policy updates like this are common with many similar apps and users always have enough time to review them. The update is designed to offer integrations across the Facebook Company Products, which also includes Instagram and Messenger.

 

What you probably don’t know is that this policy enables Facebook to collect data from you such as your “battery level, signal strength, app version, browser information, mobile network, connection information (including phone number, mobile operator or ISP), language and time zone, IP address, device operations information, and identifiers (including identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account)."

 

Whatsapp’s earlier privacy policy respects user privacy, but this is no longer present in the latest version. Since it was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion, whatsapp has being criticised for the way it handles users’ data. The new policy also means that simply deleting the app from a device will not prevent WhatsApp from retaining your private data. To ensure WhatsApp no longer continues to maintain these data you must instead use the in-app feature (by visiting the Help Center) to delete your account. It’s worse that even after using this delete feature, some data (such as information related to the groups you created or information other users have relating to you, such as their copy of the messages you sent them) will remain with the company.

 

With around 2.5 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is by far the most popular messaging app in the world, but this new WhatsApp privacy policy update is creepy and many users are considering platforms like Telegram.

 

Meanwhile, WhatsApp’s co-founder Jan Koum stepped down as the firm’s chief executive in 2018 due to a reported irreconcilable clash over Facebook’s decision to monetise personal data in the app.