WhatsApp clears misinformation, reassures of account security

Messaging platform, WhatsApp, has assured that no one would have their account suspended or deleted on February 8, 2021.

The messaging platform, with billions of users, said there has been a lot of misinformation causing confusion around the recent update and privacy policy, which forces users to accept the new changes that will allow it to share users information with its parent company, Facebook, and roll out advertising and e-commerce or have their access cut off from February 8.

Clearing the air, WhatsApp, in a statement, said the messaging platform was built on a simple idea of privacy protection, and will always protect users’ personal conversations with end-to-end encryption so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages.

As a result, the messaging platform does not keep logs of who everyone is messaging or calling, and also cannot see users’ shared location, and does not share users’ contacts with Facebook.

The statement reads: “We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, the update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future, and it is important people are aware of these services.

“We are 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 are also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security work on WhatsApp. We will then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15.”

It added that while WhatsApp helped bring end-to-end encryption to people across the world, it is committed to defending this security technology now and in the future.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us and to so many who have helped spread facts and stop rumours. We will continue to put everything we have into making WhatsApp the best way to communicate privately,” the statement ended.