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After backlash, WhatsApp delays new privacy policy says "giving more time for our recent update"

 WhatsApp has announced that it is delaying the implementation of its revised privacy policy.

WhatsApp delays plans to implement revised privacy policy until May.

WhatsApp has delayed implementing its revised privacy policy after it received backlash from its users within a week.

In a series on tweets, the company confirmed that it is pushing back the date from February 8, 2021, to until May, for now.

"Thank you to everyone who's reached out. We're still working to counter any confusion by communicating directly with WhatsApp users," the company tweeted late on Friday.

"No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8, and we'll be moving back our business plans until after May," it added.

Ever since WhatsApp announced its revised policy, the company saw messaging app users outraged by it. While the company was sharing data for years now with the last privacy policy in 2016, clearing the path for the company to start sharing data with Facebook. The updated privacy policy of 2021 was an indication that the data sharing may be deeper now going forward. What was even worse that the in-app notification that went out to users last week on iOS offered no option to skip the updated privacy policy. The only two options offered were either stopping using the app or accepting it. On the other hand, Android users got a chance to select "Not now" which meant they initially had a way out.

Two big beneficiaries of the new WhatsApp privacy policy were Telegram and Signal. Telegram app reached on to 500 million monthly active users in January. It added an astounding 25 million users in just 72 hours which was nothing short of a milestone for the company. On the other hand, Signal, being the smaller of the two messaging apps had its struggles where the messaging app saw a massive outage on Friday. Signal app has been ramping up its team globally and adding new features to its messaging service.

WhatsApp also published a blog with "Giving More Time For Our Recent Update" title where it claimed that it would be giving everyone more time to understand these changes.

"We've heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There's been a lot of misinformation causing concern, and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts," the company wrote.

"WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. It's why we don't keep logs of who everyone's messaging or calling. We also can't see your shared location, and we don't share your contacts with Facebook," it added.

After explaining its reservations, the company added, "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 work 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."

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