As many of you probably already know, WhatsApp’s announcement about changes in their privacy policy confused and angered many people, who had the impression that the messaging app would start sharing their data with its parent company, Facebook. Since then, WhatsApp has been working up and down trying to reassure people that nothing is changing with individual chats.
WhatsApp’s newest tactic: tell users that you are committed to your privacy through status messages. Who is it for unconscious – I know I don’t use them –Status is the WhatsApp version of Instagram Stories. It allows users to share text, photo, video and GIF updates that disappear after 24 hours. In an update on Saturday seen by The Verge, WhatsApp happily announced that it was now in Status and that it would inform users about new updates and features through status updates.
The announcement was followed by two short status updates on WhatsApp’s hottest topic at the moment: privacy. The company confirmed the use of status updates for the outlet and said it was using them so that people could “listen directly from WhatsApp. “
“WhatsApp cannot read or listen to your personal conversations because they are encrypted from end to end”, a status read, including a link to a company page about privacy.
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The page reaffirms that privacy is WhatsApp’s “priority” and states that conversations are encrypted from end to end and that messages are stored on your device. It also describes a number of features – such as group privacy settings and 2-step verification – that claim to ensure that users control their privacy.
While we’ve confirmed status messages for some users in the U.S. and Europe, the reports that WhatsApp has been posting privacy status messages in India for some time.
The company’s problems started inside early january, which was when WhatsApp revealed its new privacy policy and told users that they could not use the app unless they agreed to the new terms. Some critics said the new policy seemed grant WhatsApp the right to share personal data, such as phone numbers or payment information, with Facebook or Instagram, another Facebook subsidiary.
Frankly speaking, tThe new policy itself was almost impossible to understand, and most WhatsApp users began to assume that Facebook would now be able to read their WhatsApp messages, search their contact list and always know that they left someone to “read”. Yetif you just use WhatsApp to send messages to friends and family, nothing will change for now. The new privacy policy applies only to companies that use Facebook.
“We want to make it clear that the policy update no affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way, ”said WhatsApp at FAQ page, their emphasis. “The changes are related to optional business features on WhatsApp and provide more transparency about how we collect and use the data ”.
However, the damage was done. Following this incident, rival messaging apps Signal and Telegram saw a wave of new users. It is important to note that Signal was co-funded and funded by Brian Acton, one of the original co-founders of WhatsApp who had already told people to delete Facebook.
In addition to its new status updates, WhatsApp created a FAQ page and delayed launch of your new privacy policy from February to May. Your executives, as well as other Facebook executives like the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and vice president of Facebook AR / VR Andrew Bosworth, also tried to allay users’ fears and anger.
I mean, I understand that WhatsApp is trying to contain the rush, but something tells me that you won’t be able to fix such a mess with some status messages.