In order to provide more information regarding its privacy policy, Facebook-owned WhatsApp will display a banner on the app. In a blog post on Friday, WhatsApp said, “in the coming weeks, we’ll display a banner in WhatsApp providing more information that people can read at their own pace.”
“We’ve also included more information to try and address concerns we’re hearing. Eventually, we’ll start reminding people to review and accept these updates to keep using WhatsApp,” the instant messaging app said.
A debate erupted last month after WhatsApp said it will update its terms of service and privacy policy. The Indian government had asked WhatsApp to withdraw the changes.
After the public outcry, WhatsApp had decided to delay the rollout of its new policy update to May 15.
“After May 15, people who haven’t accepted the privacy policy can still receive calls and get notifications, but they’ll need to agree to the update to send messages,” WhatsApp said.
In its blog post, WhatsApp said, “we’ll be doing much more to make our voice clear going forward,” it said, adding that it had used the ‘Status’ feature to share information around the update.
“As a reminder, we’re building new ways to chat or shop with a business on WhatsApp that are entirely optional. Personal messages will always be end-to-end encrypted, so WhatsApp can’t read or listen to them,” it noted.
WhatsApp also highlighted that services to users on the platform remain free and it charges businesses to provide customer service on its platform.
Also Read: WhatsApp shares four tips to keep your chats secure
“During this time, we understand some people may check out other apps to see what they have to offer. We’ve seen some of our competitors try to get away with claiming they can’t see people’s messages – if an app doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption by default that means they can read your messages. Other apps say they’re better because they know even less information than WhatsApp. We believe people are looking for apps to be both reliable and safe, even if that requires WhatsApp having some limited data. We strive to be thoughtful on the decisions we make and we’ll continue to develop new ways of meeting these responsibilities with less information, not more,” it said.
With over 400 million users, India is its largest market. Globally, WhatsApp has about 2 billion users.
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