WhatsApp New Privacy Policy - Understanding the Rules

Last updated at 16-06-2023

Ever since WhatsApp has asked all users to accept its new privacy policy, many are fuming over its alleged intrusion into their privacy. WhatsApp new privacy policy does certainly raise a concern. We must know and understand what these concerns are and how to stay safe?

WhatsApp, a popular chat- and -messaging-sharing app, has a whopping 2-billion global users, with more than 20% of its users are based out of India. 

WhatsApp wants to use users’ data to facilitate interoperability and help its sister companies owned by Facebook Group—Instagram, Facebook, Oculus VR, WhatsApp, Beluga, and Onavo—boost their revenue-generation capacity through advertisers.

It would be interesting to know why such hullabaloo over WhatsApp New Privacy Policy from a customer’s perspective.  

You always have the option to uninstall the app and opt-out of WhatsApp anytime you wish to. 

Is It Compulsory to Accept WhatsApp New Privacy Policy?

As of now, all users can use WhatsApp normally. You don’t need to accept or sign on to any electronic documents to offer your consent for its new privacy policy. 

Earlier, all users (except the European Union) were asked to compulsorily accept the new privacy clauses by February. However, as per the latest sources, WhatsApp has now postponed its new privacy policy announcement until May this year.

What Will WhatsApp Share with Facebook?

It is the most contentious part, and you must read it thoroughly before giving your consent.

According to WhatsApp, it may share limited data with Facebook (its sister concern) for business purposes. The limited data includes vital information like the user’s contact details, device details, the IP address, WhatsApp pay transaction details, and location of the user.

However, people in the European Union (EU) are fully eligible to opt-out of the data-sharing rule and continue using WhatsApp. However, users of other countries don’t have that option. 

It’s compulsory, and you can’t decline its new terms and conditions if you want to continue using WhatsApp. 

If you are not ready to share your data with Facebook or Instagram or don’t conform to WhatsApp New Privacy Policy, you can stop using WhatsApp or switch to Telegram and Signal. 

Telegram and Signal are comparatively new social sites launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively. They offer various features and ensure maximum privacy to their users. 

Will WhatsApp Reveal My Chats and Messages to Everyone?

Relax, as no such thing will happen. WhatsApp or Facebook can’t reveal your chats to anybody except the intended users to whom you have sent the data.

WhatsApp has assured that all chats and messages are one-to-one encrypted and nobody else can see or read the same. 

The company ensured that it doesn’t have enough storage facility to preserve or store such a humongous amount of data of over 2-billion plus users on its server.

WhatsApp claimed that once a message is deleted by the user it’s deleted permanently. In some rare cases, when it can’t deliver a message to the intended user only then the message stays alive in its server for up to 30 days. After 30 days, the message gets automatically deleted permanently.  

Is Location Sharing Safe On WhatsApp?

It’s safe. When you share your location, only you and the other user can see or know it. Nobody else can see or follow you using its location-sharing feature because of the end-to-end encryption. 

How Does the Government of India Reacting to It?

WhatsApp New Privacy Policy has created a lot of confusion in the last few days. Though it’s not as if one fine day all our WhatsApp chats will be out in the public domain, still the government of India has taken a strong stand on this.

India, being a democratic country, can’t take privacy matters lightly. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has sent an email to the WhatsApp CEO asking what the need for such a new privacy policy was that takes away users’ right of choice. As of now, Facebook’s reaction to the same could not be ascertained.

In Conclusion 

Honestly, there are some privacy and data safety concerns. However, you don’t need to worry much. Here are some brief details about what should you do and how to use WhatsApp without any worries.

All WhatsApp chats and messages have end-to-end encryption, and nobody can see or read them.

Unlike Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites, WhatsApp doesn’t show any ads to users. It doesn’t have any such plans as of now. So, no user will be shown ads on this app. 

WhatsApp is an ad-free chat-sharing app that anybody can install, download, and use free of cost. 

You can use its voice calls/ video calls/ and chat features uninterruptedly without any ad-related distractions!

You can set all chats to “Disappearing Message Mode” for maximum data privacy and safety. Once you activate this mode chats and messages will automatically disappear after seven days.