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WhatsApp Privacy Policy
21 January, 2021: By Ajoy Maitra

At the latest outcry concerning worldwide users, WhatsApp verifies it's privacy policy details. Data privacy raises major concerns as technology advances to provide real time service facilities with complete digitalization.

Governments has strongly opposed the policy which has lead to further delays in compliance as the date for accepting the terms has been postponed till May, 2021.


It has been for years, data privacy was always claimed to have been maintained as per the company promotions of an end-to-end encryption. However, at the beginning of the new year 2021, WhatsApp has notified with their policy revisions wherein on acceptance, the user would agree to the latest data privacy policies of storing chats and other information for business purposes.

However, in counter to such concerns, the company reportedly claims that the information has been misinterpretated as they continue to adhere to the data privacy, stating further in a blog,


WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY

As per the details posted in the FAQ section of WhatsApp, to comply in answering the queries and to clean out the rumours of getting breached of personal data on acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of the latest Privacy policy.

We can't see your personal messages or hear your calls, and neither can Facebook

Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can read your messages or hear your calls with your friends, family, and co-workers on WhatsApp. Whatever you share, it stays between you. That's because your personal messages are protected by end-to-end encryption. We will never weaken this security and we clearly label each chat so you know our commitment.


We don't keep logs of who everyone is messaging or calling

While traditionally mobile carriers and operators store this information, we believe that keeping these records for two billion users would be both a privacy and security risk and we don't do it.


We can't see your shared location and neither can Facebook

When you share your location with someone on WhatsApp, your location is protected by end-to-end encryption, which means no one can see your location except the people you share it with.


We don't share your contacts with Facebook

When you give us permission, we access only the phone numbers from your address book to make messaging fast and reliable, and we don't share your contacts lists with the other apps Facebook offers.


Groups remain private

We use group membership to deliver messages and to protect our service from spam and abuse. We don't share this data with Facebook for ads purposes. Again, these personal chats are end-to-end encrypted so we can't see their content.


You can set your messages to disappear

For additional privacy, you can choose to set your messages to disappear from chats after you send them.


You can download your data

You can download and see what information we have on your account right from within the app.



DATA COLLECTED

Though WhatsApp has confirmed that no calling/messaging logs are collected or stored, however few other data are stored or collected. As per the requested account info generated in the WhatsApp settings, personal informations collected include: Phone number, Network details, Device name, Device Build number, IP address, Registered name, Profile photo used, Group names you are participating and few others.

Such information collected, as stated by a spokesperson, are intended to improve transparency with businesses enabling them to serve better.


We wish to reinforce that this update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook. Our aim is to provide transparency and new options available to engage with businesses so they can serve their customers and grow

As noted by the WhatsApp CEO, Will Cathcart, WhatsApp would continue to maintain its privacy for users ensuring end-to-end encryption so that the message logs are never shared with anyone. However, with the latest changes in WhatsApp Business accounts with the added feature of Add to Cart wherein customers can easily reach out businesses and place multiple orders through quick messaging facility to be delivered on time and at the specified address.

In further support to the Business accounts, WhatsApp has updated their privacy policies to provide leverage of data shared with them with an extended motive to elevate such communications ensuring transparency. As stated in a blog by WhatsApp on the significance of the business account,


The global pandemic has made clear that businesses need fast and efficient ways to service their customers and make sales. WhatsApp has become a simple and convenient resource in this time. More than 175 million people every day message a WhatsApp Business account. Our research shows people prefer to message a business to get help and they're more likely to make a purchase when they can do so.

On Government's intervention to maintain the rights of the people, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, on 19th January, 2021 has forwarded a letter to the WhatsApp CEO, Will Cathcart, to withdraw their proposed changes in the terms and policies. While such turmoil continues to whisper raising concerns of data privacy, many users have shifted to use SIgnal Messaging App.

With a single tweet of the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, there has been millions of respondents switching to Signal Messaging App. Sudden rise even surpassed the expected surge which resulted in an outage of the Signal services. On the contrary, as WhatsApp continues to be one of the most popularly used applicaions, India's technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had tweeted further stating,


Be it WhatsApp, be it Facebook, be it any other digital platform, you are free to do business in India. But do it in a manner without impinging upon the rights of Indians who operate there.