The changes in the privacy conditions by WhatsApp caused an exodus of users from rivals Telegram and Signal.
WhatsApp, a messaging service owned by Facebook that has over two billion users, recently announced controversial changes to its privacy conditions, leading to a mass exodus of users to rival platforms, especially Telegram and Signal.
Users from outside Europe who do not accept the new conditions before February 8 will be removed from the messaging application.
WhatsApp says the changes will help it better integrate with Facebook, but technology experts and privacy advocates have expressed concern about data security.
Here are four things to know about this issue:
How is the new WhatsApp privacy?
Under the new terms, WhatsApp reserves the right to share user data, including location and phone number, with the parent company Facebook Inc and other applications owned by the social networking giant – Instagram and Messenger. Data sharing has been optional until now, but after February 8 it will become mandatory. Technical experts say that this move aims to generate money on WhatsApp.
Why does it cause users to fly?
Many users are wary of the move because Facebook has poor experience in managing user data.
Some privacy activists have appealed to WhatsApp users on Twitter to switch to applications such as Signal and Telegram, questioning the “accept the takeover or exit of our data” movement.
Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram, born in Russia, said: “People no longer want to change their privacy with free services.”
What are the other rival applications that benefit?
More than 100,000 users have installed Signal in Apple and Google app stores in the past two days, while Telegram has recorded nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.
New WhatsApp installations fell 11 percent in the first seven days of 2021 compared to the previous week, but they rose to about 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower said.
Both Telegram and Signal are encrypted messaging applications, which ensures better privacy. They do not allow outsiders or the platform itself to see the content of messages.
What is WhatsApp doing in this regard?
The company tried to reassure users, saying in a blog post that WhatsApp cannot see its private messages or hear their calls, nor can Facebook.
“We do not keep the diaries of those who send messages or call. We can’t see your shared location or Facebook “, she added.
Location data along with message content is encrypted from end to end, according to WhatsApp.
But other metadata, such as call records, location, financial information, etc. can be shared if you use WhatsApp.
“We offer companies the option to use secure Facebook hosting services to manage WhatsApp chats with their customers, answer questions, and send useful information, such as purchase receipts,” WhatsApp said in the post. .
“Whether you’re communicating with a company by phone, email or WhatsApp, they can see what you’re saying and can use this information for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook.”