WhatsApp will delay the launch of activity update functions after the privacy reaction

(Reuters) – WhatsApp from Facebook Inc. is delaying an update aimed at increasing commercial transactions on the platform after a storm of concern from users who feared that the messaging platform would lose its privacy policy in the process.

WhatsApp users received a notification this month that they are preparing a new privacy policy and terms and reserved the right to share some user data with the Facebook application.

This has sparked global shouts and a bunch of new users to competing private messaging applications, including Telegram and Signal.

WhatsApp said on Friday that it would delay the launch of the new policy until May in February, that the update was focused on allowing users to send messages to companies and that the update does not affect personal conversations, which will continue to have end-to-end encryption.

“This update does not extend our ability to share data with Facebook,” a statement said.

“Although not everyone is shopping with a business on WhatsApp today, we believe that more people will choose to do so in the future and it is important that people are aware of these services,” he said.

Facebook has launched business tools on WhatsApp in the last year, as it moves to increase revenue from higher-growth units such as WhatsApp and Instagram, while linking the company’s e-commerce infrastructure.

Facebook bought WhatsApp for $ 19 billion in 2014, but slowed to monetize it.

The application already shares certain categories of personal data, including the user’s phone number and IP address, with Facebook.

“We do not keep logs of who sends messages or calls. Also, we can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook “, he said.

WhatsApp said in October that it will start offering in-app purchases through Facebook Shops and will give companies that use its customer service messaging tools the ability to store these messages on Facebook’s servers.

WhatsApp said at the time that discussions with a company using the new hosting service will not be protected by end-to-end encryption of the application.