WhatsApp is all set to implement its new Privacy Policy update in India, but this time it is providing users with more information on privacy policy and terms of use update.
This move comes after the online messaging service faced much criticism from users over concerns on data sharing with parent Facebook.
As per the new campaign, WhatsApp will display a banner in the app in the coming weeks “providing more information that people can read at their own pace”.
“We’ve also included more information to try and address concerns we’re hearing. Eventually, we’ll start reminding people to review and accept these updates to keep using WhatsApp,” the Facebook-owned company said in a blog post on Friday.
WhatsApp, in an e-mailed response, said the new in-app notification looks different from the one users saw in January and that has been redesigned based on feedback from users.
“…but the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy remain the same. As a reminder, this update does not change the privacy of people’s personal conversations and does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook,” the company said.
After a massive uproar from the users, WhatsApp had delayed the rollout of its new policy from February 8 to May 15.
It was then when the Indian government had asked WhatsApp to withdraw the changes, saying unilateral changes are unfair and unacceptable, and that not giving users an option to opt-out raised “grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens”.
It had also questioned why Indian users are being subjected to differential treatment when compared to their European counterparts where the changes do not apply.
As per the latest development, the company is allowing users, who are not yet ready to accept the privacy policy update, to continue to use the platform but with certain restrictions.
“After May 15, people who haven’t accepted the privacy policy can still receive calls and get notifications, but they’ll need to agree to the update to send messages,” WhatsApp said.
It added that in accordance with its policies, user accounts will remain active to allow them to accept the new terms of service and updates.
In its blog post, WhatsApp said it had previously encountered a great deal of “misinformation” about its policy update and that it continues to work on clearing up confusion.
“We’ll be doing much more to make our voice clear going forward,” it said, adding that it had used the ‘Status’ feature to share information around the update.
WhatsApp has about 2 billion users globally, out of which it has over 400 million users from India.
Its announcement about the privacy of their data, pushed a large number of rival messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram, resulting in the downloads of these apps into millions.