WhatsApp promises to make its usage terms less confusing
You may recall last year sometime when WhatsApp had new terms that stated it would share your private data with the sister app, Facebook. When users complained and the the EU Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network stepped in, parent company Meta released a confusing policy on how that data would be used. It seems like the EU Commission has spoken to them again, as they’re going out of their way to make sure we understand what’s happening.
A new press release that the EU Commission posted highlights the new Meta WhatsApp promise. It speaks about how the company will do its best to completely comply with the EU rules and be more transparent and clearer on the rules of engagement. Mostly, it states that the data-sharing concept will only apply to businesses and not individuals.
https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/status/1632735258180218882
Even if the option becomes available to WhatsApp individuals, you’ll see a message displayed that you can opt in or out of the feature. It’s mainly beneficial for businesses, as they can then share information about their products with group members and quickly find them on Facebook. However, there are many users who would still prefer to keep their contacts and data private for personal reasons.
I was just discussing how our chats appear to be watched with a friend the other day. It was meant in a half-hearted humoristic paranoid way, but there was a sense of seriousness in it. We were discussing old apps that used to take our photos and tell us how old we look. The next day, a similar topic suddenly became trending on Google and Facebook.
I’m not saying I’m important enough for someone to spy on, but there are so many other examples I can give. I feel it’s a given that our chats are monitored and shared anyway, no matter how private companies like Meta and WhatsApp say they are. In any event, we should have clearer policies soon that tell us exactly what WhatsApp plans to do with shared data…if we can believe them.
