{"id":41715,"date":"2021-01-20T08:56:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T08:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/?guid=be377ad9cd0ac6decc54aa44274c3120"},"modified":"2021-01-20T08:56:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T08:56:35","slug":"whatsapp-delays-controversial-privacy-update-for-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/whatsapp-delays-controversial-privacy-update-for-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp delays controversial privacy update for businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n Sabina Weston<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
18 Jan, 2021<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

WhatsApp<\/a> has announced that it will delay the rollout of new\u00a0privacy<\/a> terms which were supposed to come into effect next month.<\/p>\n

The update, which was presented to users on a \u2018take it or leave it\u2019 basis, was designed to allow businesses to manage WhatsApp chats using new Facebook<\/a> integrations. Users, therefore, were asked to share certain aspects of their data with WhatsApp\u2019s parent company Facebook if they still wished to continue using the platform.<\/p>\n

However, the plans were met by a backlash sufficient enough to make WhatsApp delay the implementation of the update by over three months, with the rollout pushed back from 8 February to 15 May.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms,\u201d the company announced on its blog<\/a>, before adding that \u201cno one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We\u2019ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp\u2019s decision to forcefully implement its updated terms and conditions resulted in a number of users fleeing the service, with many choosing to seek privacy solace in the arms of the messaging platform\u2019s competitors.<\/p>\n

This caused temporary infrastructure issues for encrypted messaging service Signal, which on Friday saw its servers overwhelmed due to the sudden rush of new users.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week nonstop, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections. Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message that privacy matters. We appreciate your patience,\u201d the company announced via Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the change to WhatsApp\u2019s terms and conditions\u00a0won’t affect those in the UK or Europe specifically<\/a>, a pop-up notification still appeared on the app for everyone \u2013 bringing fears over the security and privacy of bring your own device (BYOD)<\/a> policies again to the fore.<\/p>\n

Rowan Troy, cyber security consultant at managed IT provider Littlefish, advised organisations to \u201cexercise caution\u201d<\/a> when allowing the use of consumer communication tools such as WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new data-sharing agreement between WhatsApp and Facebook might increase the risk of personal data being shared that contradicts company policy or compliance legislation relevant to the organisation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sabina Weston<\/p>\n

18 Jan, 2021 <\/p>\n

WhatsApp has announced that it will delay the rollout of new\u00a0privacy terms which were supposed to come into effect next month.
\nThe update, which was presented to users on a \u2018take it or leave it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41716,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41715\/revisions\/41716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}