Technical / New policy does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook: WhatsApp

Technical Desk: Instant messaging app WhatsApp, continued to defend its updated privacy policy that has landed it in controversy. In its latest effort, a WhatsApp spokesperson's statement on Wednesday claimed that the company's updated policy 'does not expand the ability to share data with Facebook'. Earlier, the ministry of electronics and information technology of India (MeitY) wrote to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, asking for the new policy to be revoked or withdrawn for Indian users.

The latest response from WhatsApp on this topic states, "Our aim is to provide transparency and new options available to engage with businesses so they can serve their customers and grow. WhatsApp will always protect personal messages with end-to-end encryption so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see them. We are working to address misinformation and remain available to answer any questions."

In the past few days, 200 million people around the world received a notification on WhatsApp, which said that by February 8, 2021 you must accept these terms and if you dodn't, you won't be able to use your WhatsApp Account. According to this notification, WhatsApp will now share your data with Facebook. Facebook is the parent company of WhatsApp.

Information like your phone number, your contacts and your WhatsApp status, all these data will now be available to Facebook from WhatsApp. If you don't like this condition, you will have to delete your WhatsApp account.

WhatsApp, however, has claimed that its new policy does not state anything new for personal consumers. Instead, its new policy only affects businesses, and it in fact expands the ability for small businesses on WhatsApp to share certain prior-agreed data with Facebook to expand the scope of business.

In a strongly worded letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has expressed its 'strong concerns' on the new privacy changes and asked the instant messaging app to 'respect the date security of Indian users'.

The IT Ministry in the letter has asked WhatsApp to withdraw the proposed policy, slamming its 'all or nothing' approach which 'leverages the social significance of the app to force users into a bargain'.