WhatsApp Keeps Its New Policy In The Back Burner; Says ‘Never Planned To Delete Any Account’

The Facebook owned instant messaging giant WhatsApp has decided to postpone its changes and give its users time to review its new policy updates.

Representative Image (Getty)

New Delhi: After getting a huge backlash, WhatsApp has finally decided to postpone its new policy updates until the end of May. Through a blog they announced that no changes were going to happen on February and that they were giving more time for people to understand it’s new policy which are mostly meant for businesses.   

“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8. We're also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15.”

 WhatsApp also explains on Twitter that they never planned to delete any accounts and they will not do so in the future.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We will make sure users have plenty of time to review and understand the terms. Rest assured we never planned to delete any accounts based on this and will not do so in the future.</p>&mdash; WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/1350166560502026240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>January 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In a recent interview with PTI, Will Cathcart, WhatsApp global head, said that the company is committed to the privacy and security of the users across the world and their messages are end-to-end encrypted.

After the backlash that followed from the initial update notification, WhatsApp tried to clarify,"the update does not change WhatsApp's data-sharing practices with Facebook and does not impact how people communicate privately with friends or family wherever they are in the world. WhatsApp remains deeply committed to protecting people's privacy. We are communicating directly with users through WhatsApp about these changes, so they have time to review the new policy over the course of the next month," said a spokesperson for WhatsApp.

Though WhatsApp remains that the user data that WhatsApp may share with its parent firm Facebook may include account registration information (mobile number), transaction details as WhatsApp now have payments bank license in India, service-related information, information about how you communicate with others including firms, information about your IP address and mobile device.