Whatsapp is forcing users to accept a new privacy policy in India. But, the company's executives in Europe say Whatsapp will not share user data of Europeans with Facebook. Why is Whatsapp treating Europe differently?

Gravitas: Whatsapp pushes new rules on Indian users, but Europeans are exempt

Whatsapp downloads are falling drastically. Between January 6-10, the downloads fell by 35%. Users are downloading other alternatives

Gravitas: The Whatsapp exodus

India is WhatsApp's biggest market. But the platform's privacy policy has left users with 2 options- to either share their data or exit the app. Privacy is a Fundamental Right in India. But is the govt doing enough to protect it?

Gravitas: WhatsApp's privacy policy & you

After a great shift of users from Whatsapp over privacy concerns, users have been downloading the Signal app in India more than in any other nation, the messaging app claimed.&nbsp;

"We have recently become India's most popular app and are also trending as no. 1 on Apple (in 70 countries) and Android (in 35 countries) … Undoubtedly, India is currently leading our growth, with people adopting Signal in record numbers,” the app's Chief Operating Officer Aruna Harder told ThePrint.

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The official however did not share the specific number of people using the app in India.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/use-signal-how-elon-musks-tweet-about-the-app-benefitted-a-ngo-356260">'Use Signal': How Elon Musk's tweet about the app benefitted a NGO</a>

Harder also said that India has always been ahead than other countries when it comes to "adopting the best technology"' and endorsement of the app by business tycoons like Anand Mahindra and Vijay Shekhar Sharma has helped its case.&nbsp;

"As a country, India has always been ahead of the curve at adopting the best technology," Harder said.

"The tweets from millions of new Signal users, with big voices like Anand Mahindra among them, is just really amazing. We recently read that Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, PhonePe co-founder Sameer Nigam and Cred founder Kunal Shah have also begun using Signal."

Whatsapp is facing a lot of criticism after concerns were raised over the app's new security update that allows Facebook to collect Whatsapp's user data. 
&nbsp;

After a great shift of users from Whatsapp over privacy concerns, users have been downloading the Signal app in India more than in any other nation, the messaging app claimed.

After a great shift of users from Whatsapp over privacy concerns, users have been downloading the Signal app in India more than in any other nation, the messaging app claimed. "We have recently become India's most popular app and are also trending as no. 1 on Apple (in 70 countries) and Android (in 35 countries) … Undoubtedly, India is currently leading our growth, with people adopting Signal in record numbers,” the app's Chief Operating Officer Aruna Harder told ThePrint. Watch | The official however did not share the specific number of people using the app in India. Also read | 'Use Signal': How Elon Musk's tweet about the app benefitted a NGO Harder also said that India has always been ahead than other countries when it comes to "adopting the best technology"' and endorsement of the app by business tycoons like Anand Mahindra and Vijay Shekhar Sharma has helped its case. "As a country, India has always been ahead of the curve at adopting the best technology," Harder said. "The tweets from millions of new Signal users, with big voices like Anand Mahindra among them, is just really amazing. We recently read that Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, PhonePe co-founder Sameer Nigam and Cred founder Kunal Shah have also begun using Signal." Whatsapp is facing a lot of criticism after concerns were raised over the app's new security update that allows Facebook to collect Whatsapp's user data.

India leading Signal's growth following WhatsApp user data row, claims COO

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Whatsapp is changing its privacy policy, and if the users don't agree within 26 days, then they must delete the app. However, it applies only to its users in India. Europe, on the other hand, doesn't have to bother about the new policy which means WhatsApp will not share the continent's data with Facebook.

“There are no changes to WhatsApp’s data-sharing practices in the European region arising from the updated terms of service and privacy policy. For the avoidance of any doubt, it is still the case that WhatsApp does not share European region WhatsApp user data with Facebook for the purpose of Facebook using this data to improve its products or advertisements,” a spokeswoman said.&nbsp;

WhatsApp's executives in Europe said: "There are no changes to WhatsApp's data-sharing practices in the European region."

"WhatsApp does not share European region user data with Facebook", they added.&nbsp;

WhatsApp has issued more clarifications. Niamh Sweeney, WhatsApp's director of policy for Europe, West Asia and Africa took to Twitter.&nbsp;

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1/5 I don't usually tweet about work-related issues, but this one is important:
— Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiamhSweeneyNYC/status/1347183889995935744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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3/5 There are no changes to WhatsApp's data-sharing practices in the Europe arising from this update. It remains the case that WhatsApp does not share European Region WhatsApp user data with Facebook for the purpose of Facebook using this data to improve its products or ads.
— Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiamhSweeneyNYC/status/1347184963016339457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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5/5 It's also about improving how businesses use WhatsApp to connect with customers. The updated Policy provides info on how businesses using the WhatsApp API to talk to customers can now do so using a Facebook-provided service to help them manage their chats with customers.
— Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiamhSweeneyNYC/status/1347185463057117190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Why are there different rules for Europe and India?

It is because of European laws. Europe has tougher laws to protect user privacy. Facebook must comply with those laws.

Facebook has been punished and fined for sharing data in Europe a few years ago. &nbsp;

In 2017, Facebook was fined 122 million dollars.&nbsp;

Facebook is the parent company of WhatsApp. When it bought WhatsApp, Facebook promised not to use the app's data. However, it did not keep its promise.&nbsp;

According to European regulators, Facebook had misled them and due to which the social media giant was slapped with a fine.

In the same year --- France gave a warning to Facebook. It threatened to fine Facebook if data from Whatsapp is shared with Facebook.

In 2019 --- Germany imposed a ban on similar Facebook policies. German regulators said Facebook cannot collect and mix up user data from WhatsApp and Instagram. Until they have explicit consent from the user to do so.

All these governments are legislating to protect the data of their citizens which has forced Facebook to comply.

Turkey, also, has launched a probe. The competition authority there is investigating the changes in WhatsApp's privacy policy. Until then, Facebook has been asked to suspend the changes.

So until the govt clears, WhatsApp cannot implement the new policy.

In the United States, the home base of Facebook, the tech giant is facing an antitrust lawsuit. 46 states have sued the company claiming that Facebook is now a monopoly --- and it must be broken.

The focus of the investigation is on data. How does the company manage its data?&nbsp;

It gets data from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Where does it go? How is it shared? What are the checks and balances?

America is investigating all this.

What is the Government of India doing to protect the data and privacy of its citizens? Why has New Delhi no legislated?

India is WhatsApp's biggest market with more than 400 million users. A market that WhatsApp wants to take for a ride because the govt has failed to come up with stricter privacy laws.&nbsp;

Whatsapp is changing its privacy policy, and if the users don't agree within 26 days, then they must delete the app. However, it applies only to its users in India.

Whatsapp is changing its privacy policy, and if the users don't agree within 26 days, then they must delete the app. However, it applies only to its users in India. Europe, on the other hand, doesn't have to bother about the new policy which means WhatsApp will not share the continent's data with Facebook. “There are no changes to WhatsApp’s data-sharing practices in the European region arising from the updated terms of service and privacy policy. For the avoidance of any doubt, it is still the case that WhatsApp does not share European region WhatsApp user data with Facebook for the purpose of Facebook using this data to improve its products or advertisements,” a spokeswoman said. WhatsApp's executives in Europe said: "There are no changes to WhatsApp's data-sharing practices in the European region." "WhatsApp does not share European region user data with Facebook", they added. WhatsApp has issued more clarifications. Niamh Sweeney, WhatsApp's director of policy for Europe, West Asia and Africa took to Twitter. 1/5 I don't usually tweet about work-related issues, but this one is important: — Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) January 7, 2021 × 3/5 There are no changes to WhatsApp's data-sharing practices in the Europe arising from this update. It remains the case that WhatsApp does not share European Region WhatsApp user data with Facebook for the purpose of Facebook using this data to improve its products or ads. — Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) January 7, 2021 × 5/5 It's also about improving how businesses use WhatsApp to connect with customers. The updated Policy provides info on how businesses using the WhatsApp API to talk to customers can now do so using a Facebook-provided service to help them manage their chats with customers. — Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) January 7, 2021 × Why are there different rules for Europe and India? It is because of European laws. Europe has tougher laws to protect user privacy. Facebook must comply with those laws. Facebook has been punished and fined for sharing data in Europe a few years ago. In 2017, Facebook was fined 122 million dollars. Facebook is the parent company of WhatsApp. When it bought WhatsApp, Facebook promised not to use the app's data. However, it did not keep its promise. According to European regulators, Facebook had misled them and due to which the social media giant was slapped with a fine. In the same year --- France gave a warning to Facebook. It threatened to fine Facebook if data from Whatsapp is shared with Facebook. In 2019 --- Germany imposed a ban on similar Facebook policies. German regulators said Facebook cannot collect and mix up user data from WhatsApp and Instagram. Until they have explicit consent from the user to do so. All these governments are legislating to protect the data of their citizens which has forced Facebook to comply. Turkey, also, has launched a probe. The competition authority there is investigating the changes in WhatsApp's privacy policy. Until then, Facebook has been asked to suspend the changes. So until the govt clears, WhatsApp cannot implement the new policy. In the United States, the home base of Facebook, the tech giant is facing an antitrust lawsuit. 46 states have sued the company claiming that Facebook is now a monopoly --- and it must be broken. The focus of the investigation is on data. How does the company manage its data? It gets data from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Where does it go? How is it shared? What are the checks and balances? America is investigating all this. What is the Government of India doing to protect the data and privacy of its citizens? Why has New Delhi no legislated? India is WhatsApp's biggest market with more than 400 million users. A market that WhatsApp wants to take for a ride because the govt has failed to come up with stricter privacy laws.

WhatsApp's new privacy policy: How Indian rules vary from rest of the world

WhatsApp has over 2 billion users, out of which 400 million are from India. Recently, many users in India changed their WhatsApp display pictures to "boycott WhatsApp" logos.

Now, messages are being circulated over the application urging people to stop using it.

The service is spending lakhs of rupees to retain users. And WhatsApp's parent company, with its abysmal track record in privacy, is now defining privacy for Indians. WhatsApp's biggest market is&nbsp;India, but Indian users are among the most vulnerable.

On Wednesday, India woke up to full-page advertisements that read - "WhatsApp respects and protects your privacy".

The ads went on to claim the following - "Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA".

"We cannot see your private message or hear your calls... WhatsApp cannot see your shared location, and neither can Facebook", it added.

For the third time, WhatsApp was attempting to sell its new privacy policy. The ads were plastered on at least four leading Indian newspapers, and many were on the front page.

But why would WhatsApp spend so much money on this PR gimmick? As a free service, what could it lose?

WhatsApp is neither free, nor a service. It is a business, and we are paying kind, or in other words, data. WhatsApp says it will not share your personal chats with Facebook.

But what will it share? Whenever you message a business on WhatsApp, Facebook will know your payment method including shipping details, transaction amount. In addition, Facebook will use the data to show you similar ads on its platform and on Instagram.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/it-stays-between-you-whatsapp-issues-clarification-after-update-in-privacy-policy-356211" hreflang="en">'It stays between you': WhatsApp issues clarification after update in privacy policy</a>

If you have a business account, Facebook will track your group name, group picture, group description, payments, or any other business features. It will also know whether you are online, and when you were last online.

Whatsapp says it won't read you personal chats, so there's no way it is breaching your privacy. But this basis is flawed, for it assumes that business chats are not private/ 
WhatsApp is rewriting the definition of privacy to suit its business. This is what the ad said - "We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/final-nail-in-coffin-telegram-again-trolls-whatsapp-over-new-privacy-update-356104" hreflang="en">Final nail in coffin: Telegram again trolls Whatsapp over new privacy update</a>

There's no scope for redressal in India, for the country does not have a data protection law. Whatsapp would not have been able to go ahead with this update in India with data protection in place.&nbsp;

Europe has the GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation. Owing to this law, European WhatsApp users cannot be forced to share their data with Facebook.

80 countries have data protection laws in place, and India is not one of them. Users now have two options - to either share their data, or to simply lose access to the application. And the update comes into force on February 8.

WhatsApp has over 2 billion users, out of which 400 million are from India. Recently, many users in India changed their WhatsApp display pictures to "boycott WhatsApp" logos.

WhatsApp has over 2 billion users, out of which 400 million are from India. Recently, many users in India changed their WhatsApp display pictures to "boycott WhatsApp" logos. Now, messages are being circulated over the application urging people to stop using it. The service is spending lakhs of rupees to retain users. And WhatsApp's parent company, with its abysmal track record in privacy, is now defining privacy for Indians. WhatsApp's biggest market is India, but Indian users are among the most vulnerable. On Wednesday, India woke up to full-page advertisements that read - "WhatsApp respects and protects your privacy". The ads went on to claim the following - "Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA". "We cannot see your private message or hear your calls... WhatsApp cannot see your shared location, and neither can Facebook", it added. For the third time, WhatsApp was attempting to sell its new privacy policy. The ads were plastered on at least four leading Indian newspapers, and many were on the front page. But why would WhatsApp spend so much money on this PR gimmick? As a free service, what could it lose? WhatsApp is neither free, nor a service. It is a business, and we are paying kind, or in other words, data. WhatsApp says it will not share your personal chats with Facebook. But what will it share? Whenever you message a business on WhatsApp, Facebook will know your payment method including shipping details, transaction amount. In addition, Facebook will use the data to show you similar ads on its platform and on Instagram. Also read: 'It stays between you': WhatsApp issues clarification after update in privacy policy If you have a business account, Facebook will track your group name, group picture, group description, payments, or any other business features. It will also know whether you are online, and when you were last online. Whatsapp says it won't read you personal chats, so there's no way it is breaching your privacy. But this basis is flawed, for it assumes that business chats are not private/ WhatsApp is rewriting the definition of privacy to suit its business. This is what the ad said - "We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp". Also read: Final nail in coffin: Telegram again trolls Whatsapp over new privacy update There's no scope for redressal in India, for the country does not have a data protection law. Whatsapp would not have been able to go ahead with this update in India with data protection in place. Europe has the GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation. Owing to this law, European WhatsApp users cannot be forced to share their data with Facebook. 80 countries have data protection laws in place, and India is not one of them. Users now have two options - to either share their data, or to simply lose access to the application. And the update comes into force on February 8.

WhatsApp is rewriting the definition of privacy to suit its business in India

The encrypted messaging app Telegram has registered 25million new users in just 72 hours. On Tuesday, Telegram announced that it had surpassed 500mn active users.

Telegram surpasses 500mn users after Whatsapp's privacy changes

A few days after the messaging app <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/whatsapp">WhatsApp Inc.</a> updated its privacy policy, the company has had to issue a clarification over several concerns and 'rumours' that claimed WhatsApp was accessing user data.

The company issud clarification and noted that the new uodate in the privacy policy does not let the employees or anyone else read chats or hear voice and video calls that take place between the users.

An official blog post was set up to address these rumours. "We recently updated our Privacy Policy and we have received many thoughtful questions. With some of the rumors going around, we want to answer some of the common questions we have received. We go to great lengths to build WhatsApp in a way that helps people communicate privately," it read.

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We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear we continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption. <a href="https://t.co/6qDnzQ98MP">pic.twitter.com/6qDnzQ98MP</a>
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/1348839600333049857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Further, it added that the change in privacy policy is instead a move to bring in more transparency on user data sharing. "We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data."

Clarifying about access to the user data, the FAQ stated that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can read the&nbsp;messages "or hear your calls with your friends, family, and co-workers on WhatsApp. Whatever you share, it stays between you. That’s because your personal messages are protected by end-to-end encryption. We will never weaken this security and we clearly label each chat so you know our commitment."

It also added that the data from WhatsApp is not shared with Facebook and the app only asks for access to user's phonebook to get phone numbers and "make messaging fast and reliable". It also assured that the phonebooks ar not being shared with any of the other apps functioning with Facebook.

The post also reaffirmed that for additional security, users can "choose to set your messages to disappear from chats after you send them."&nbsp;

A few days after the messaging app WhatsApp Inc. updated its privacy policy, the company has had to issue a clarification over several concerns and 'rumours' that claimed WhatsApp was accessing user data.

A few days after the messaging app WhatsApp Inc. updated its privacy policy, the company has had to issue a clarification over several concerns and 'rumours' that claimed WhatsApp was accessing user data. The company issud clarification and noted that the new uodate in the privacy policy does not let the employees or anyone else read chats or hear voice and video calls that take place between the users. An official blog post was set up to address these rumours. "We recently updated our Privacy Policy and we have received many thoughtful questions. With some of the rumors going around, we want to answer some of the common questions we have received. We go to great lengths to build WhatsApp in a way that helps people communicate privately," it read. We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear we continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption. pic.twitter.com/6qDnzQ98MP — WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) January 12, 2021 × Further, it added that the change in privacy policy is instead a move to bring in more transparency on user data sharing. "We want to be clear that the policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way. Instead, this update includes changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data." Clarifying about access to the user data, the FAQ stated that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can read the messages "or hear your calls with your friends, family, and co-workers on WhatsApp. Whatever you share, it stays between you. That’s because your personal messages are protected by end-to-end encryption. We will never weaken this security and we clearly label each chat so you know our commitment." It also added that the data from WhatsApp is not shared with Facebook and the app only asks for access to user's phonebook to get phone numbers and "make messaging fast and reliable". It also assured that the phonebooks ar not being shared with any of the other apps functioning with Facebook. The post also reaffirmed that for additional security, users can "choose to set your messages to disappear from chats after you send them."

'It stays between you': WhatsApp issues clarification after update in privacy policy

Facebook's popular messaging app Whatsapp has faced backlash over its new privacy updates that allows Facebook to collect Whatsapp's user data.

The concerns were raised as the deadline to accept the new privacy policy is February 8 otherwise access to encrypted voice and video calls will be cut off.&nbsp;

And this led to several users switching to Signal and Telegram over their safety feature and now in a recent post Telegram has trolled Whatsapp over its new privacy update.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-asks-people-to-use-signal-app-instead-of-whatsapp-and-facebook-over-privacy-issues-355704">Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues</a>

In a GIF shared on Twitter, a group of people are carrying a coffin which consists of a screengrab of Whatsapp's privacy agreement.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://t.co/6eGm2emsYx">pic.twitter.com/6eGm2emsYx</a>
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The post was 'liked' by 253,000 people and was retweeted by about 80,000 people.&nbsp;

A few days ago Telegram shared another post which took a dig at Whatsapp in which both Facebook and Whatsapp are dressed as popular comic character Spiderman.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://t.co/ARzNTrekvQ">pic.twitter.com/ARzNTrekvQ</a>
— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) <a href="https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1347522247616045056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, the move by Whatsapp has also led to a drop of 11 per cent in the installs in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the last week, Sensor Tower said.

Signal's popularity also rose up further on Thursday after it was backed by Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk over privacy concerns.

Facebook's popular messaging app Whatsapp has faced backlash over its new privacy updates that allows Facebook to collect Whatsapp's user data. The concerns were raised as the deadline to accept the new privacy policy is February 8 otherwise access to encrypted voice and video calls will be cut off.

Facebook's popular messaging app Whatsapp has faced backlash over its new privacy updates that allows Facebook to collect Whatsapp's user data. The concerns were raised as the deadline to accept the new privacy policy is February 8 otherwise access to encrypted voice and video calls will be cut off. And this led to several users switching to Signal and Telegram over their safety feature and now in a recent post Telegram has trolled Whatsapp over its new privacy update. Also read | Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues In a GIF shared on Twitter, a group of people are carrying a coffin which consists of a screengrab of Whatsapp's privacy agreement. pic.twitter.com/6eGm2emsYx — Telegram Messenger (@telegram) January 10, 2021 × The post was 'liked' by 253,000 people and was retweeted by about 80,000 people. A few days ago Telegram shared another post which took a dig at Whatsapp in which both Facebook and Whatsapp are dressed as popular comic character Spiderman. pic.twitter.com/ARzNTrekvQ — Telegram Messenger (@telegram) January 8, 2021 × Meanwhile, the move by Whatsapp has also led to a drop of 11 per cent in the installs in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the last week, Sensor Tower said. Signal's popularity also rose up further on Thursday after it was backed by Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk over privacy concerns.

Final nail in coffin: Telegram again trolls Whatsapp over new privacy update

World's richest person Elon Musk is asking people to switch to a messaging app called Signal over WhatsApp and Facebook due to a change their policy which has raised privacy concerns.

Tesla CEO Musk appealed to people to switch to more encrypted apps than&nbsp;WhatsApp and Facebook and specifically mentioned Signal when asked about a safer alternative by his followers.

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Use Signal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Musk's tweet comes after&nbsp;Signal and Telegram messaging apps are seeing a sudden increase in demand due&nbsp;larger rival&nbsp;WhatsApp's updated terms of service raised eyebrows on social media.

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WhatsApp will share its users' personal information, including phone numbers, IP addresses, contacts, &amp; more with Facebook from Feb. 8, according to the new T&amp;Cs. No opt-out. The only way to object is to leave the service &amp; move to a service like Signal or Telegram. <a href="https://t.co/FbGcq5T3JB">https://t.co/FbGcq5T3JB</a>
— Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikebutcher/status/1346959937679798274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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WhatsApp, which uses Signal's encryption technology, laid out fresh terms on Wednesday, asking users to agree to let owner Facebook Inc and its subsidiaries collect user data, including their phone number and location.

Some privacy activists questioned the "accept our data grab or get out" move on Twitter, and suggested users to switch to apps like Signal and Telegram.

Signal's popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk, who has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter and by the micro-blogging site's top boss Jack Dorsey.

More than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days, while Telegram picked up nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.

New installs of&nbsp;WhatsApp&nbsp;fell 11 per cent&nbsp;in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the prior week, but that still amounted to an estimated 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower said.

World's richest person Elon Musk is asking people to switch to a messaging app called Signal over WhatsApp and Facebook due to a change their policy which has raised privacy concerns.

World's richest person Elon Musk is asking people to switch to a messaging app called Signal over WhatsApp and Facebook due to a change their policy which has raised privacy concerns. Tesla CEO Musk appealed to people to switch to more encrypted apps than WhatsApp and Facebook and specifically mentioned Signal when asked about a safer alternative by his followers. Use Signal — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021 × Musk's tweet comes after Signal and Telegram messaging apps are seeing a sudden increase in demand due larger rival WhatsApp's updated terms of service raised eyebrows on social media. WhatsApp will share its users' personal information, including phone numbers, IP addresses, contacts, & more with Facebook from Feb. 8, according to the new T&Cs. No opt-out. The only way to object is to leave the service & move to a service like Signal or Telegram. https://t.co/FbGcq5T3JB — Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) January 6, 2021 × WhatsApp, which uses Signal's encryption technology, laid out fresh terms on Wednesday, asking users to agree to let owner Facebook Inc and its subsidiaries collect user data, including their phone number and location. Some privacy activists questioned the "accept our data grab or get out" move on Twitter, and suggested users to switch to apps like Signal and Telegram. Signal's popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk, who has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter and by the micro-blogging site's top boss Jack Dorsey. More than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days, while Telegram picked up nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower. New installs of WhatsApp fell 11 per cent in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the prior week, but that still amounted to an estimated 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower said.

Elon Musk asks people to use Signal app instead of WhatsApp and Facebook over privacy issues

Whatsapp is updating its privacy policy. Users have to accept the new terms or delete the app. With these changes, Facebook could potentially gather more data about Whatsapp users. Does it mean Facebook can now read your messages?

Gravitas:  Will Facebook now read your Whatsapp messages?

Apple and Facebook are fighting it out for dominance. There was a time the two tech giants were symbiotic. Their latest war over privacy has made consumers helpless.

Gravitas: Tech giants are fighting it out for consumers

Facebook wants to open a marketplace on Whatsapp. The company plans to allow businesses to list their products for customers to buy. WION's Palki tells you more about Facebook's push to turn Whatsapp into a money-making juggernaut

Gravitas: Major changes are coming to Whatsapp

Whatsapp is updating its terms and privacy policy right at the bottom there is a button to accept the new terms. Most people would just go ahead and accept it. They won't bother reading what WhatsApp is changing under the hood.

The privacy notes often drafted by lawyers are very hard to understand, also a person does not have a choice to stay on the platform. It keeps popping up and blocks users until the terms are accepted.

However, this time, a user must know what he or she is signing up for since Facebook is changing WhatsApp's character. The new rules will kick in next month, and if a user doesn't accept the policy, then the app will have to be deleted.

So either play along or leave WhatsApp. There's a warning attached right at the bottom of the message, it is like placing a gun to your head.

Whatsapp plans to gather more data about a user.&nbsp;It does not that mean they are reading your messages, but it has devised other ways to intrude. It will be able to gather a lot more information about you - your account information including phone number, address book information, status information, also all the data on your transactions and payments because it will be linked to their new feature - WhatsApp payments.

Also, customer support communications that is messages a user exchanges with a business on WhatsApp - Facebook will be able to access all of this!

Whatsapp can collect data about your usage, the kind of phone you use even locations. WhatsApp also wants to access your bank account. It may not happen directly as there might be an intermediary involved, however, WhatsApp would be able to move funds from your account and gather details about the transaction that is - what you are paying, who are you paying to and where you want the delivery.

Facebook mainly wants to know how and where you spend money and specific circumstances. WhatsApp can collect data on messages too. WhatsApp can keep the message in encrypted form for 30 days as it tries to deliver it, after that, the message will be deleted.

WhatsApp says it can temporarily keep the message on its servers, so while Whatsapp may not be technically reading your encrypted chats with friends and family, it can still know a lot about you and all that information can potentially be used to create your unique profile, then the profile goes to Facebook and it can share information with other companies.

Facebook is mainly trying to make money from WhatsApp by tracking every user and profile. In India alone, Facebook has more than 200 million active subscribers which means potential data on 200 million citizens - they will know what an Indian buyies, spends, prefers including address and contact details.

These companies can target ads and it's already happening. Try searching for flights or hotels for your next vacation and the next thing you know you will get hotel suggestions, flight options even ads featuring restaurants where you can eat during your holiday.

Mark Zuckerberg bought Whatsapp for $19 billion in 2014, many said he had spent too much, but he had a plan. Facebook makes 99 per cent of its revenue from advertising, according to one report.

Whatsapp could launch Facebook into e-commerce. Two years after acquiring WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg wanted it to start making money. The founders of Whatsapp disagreed with the plan, they were unhappy with Facebook's business model and they had to leave the company.

Their business model is advertising. Facebook collects data for targeted ads. Now it will use Whatsapp to expand its operation by feeding it to its giant network. Facebook will use it to sell ads to companies. Facebook wants to host businesses on WhatsApp. So, you may see an ad on Facebook or Instagram and potentially end up buying the product through WhatsApp.

Whatsapp is updating its terms and privacy policy right at the bottom there is a button to accept the new terms. Most people would just go ahead and accept it. They won't bother reading what WhatsApp is changing under the hood.

Whatsapp is updating its terms and privacy policy right at the bottom there is a button to accept the new terms. Most people would just go ahead and accept it. They won't bother reading what WhatsApp is changing under the hood. The privacy notes often drafted by lawyers are very hard to understand, also a person does not have a choice to stay on the platform. It keeps popping up and blocks users until the terms are accepted. However, this time, a user must know what he or she is signing up for since Facebook is changing WhatsApp's character. The new rules will kick in next month, and if a user doesn't accept the policy, then the app will have to be deleted. So either play along or leave WhatsApp. There's a warning attached right at the bottom of the message, it is like placing a gun to your head. Whatsapp plans to gather more data about a user. It does not that mean they are reading your messages, but it has devised other ways to intrude. It will be able to gather a lot more information about you - your account information including phone number, address book information, status information, also all the data on your transactions and payments because it will be linked to their new feature - WhatsApp payments. Also, customer support communications that is messages a user exchanges with a business on WhatsApp - Facebook will be able to access all of this! Whatsapp can collect data about your usage, the kind of phone you use even locations. WhatsApp also wants to access your bank account. It may not happen directly as there might be an intermediary involved, however, WhatsApp would be able to move funds from your account and gather details about the transaction that is - what you are paying, who are you paying to and where you want the delivery. Facebook mainly wants to know how and where you spend money and specific circumstances. WhatsApp can collect data on messages too. WhatsApp can keep the message in encrypted form for 30 days as it tries to deliver it, after that, the message will be deleted. WhatsApp says it can temporarily keep the message on its servers, so while Whatsapp may not be technically reading your encrypted chats with friends and family, it can still know a lot about you and all that information can potentially be used to create your unique profile, then the profile goes to Facebook and it can share information with other companies. Facebook is mainly trying to make money from WhatsApp by tracking every user and profile. In India alone, Facebook has more than 200 million active subscribers which means potential data on 200 million citizens - they will know what an Indian buyies, spends, prefers including address and contact details. These companies can target ads and it's already happening. Try searching for flights or hotels for your next vacation and the next thing you know you will get hotel suggestions, flight options even ads featuring restaurants where you can eat during your holiday. Mark Zuckerberg bought Whatsapp for $19 billion in 2014, many said he had spent too much, but he had a plan. Facebook makes 99 per cent of its revenue from advertising, according to one report. Whatsapp could launch Facebook into e-commerce. Two years after acquiring WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg wanted it to start making money. The founders of Whatsapp disagreed with the plan, they were unhappy with Facebook's business model and they had to leave the company. Their business model is advertising. Facebook collects data for targeted ads. Now it will use Whatsapp to expand its operation by feeding it to its giant network. Facebook will use it to sell ads to companies. Facebook wants to host businesses on WhatsApp. So, you may see an ad on Facebook or Instagram and potentially end up buying the product through WhatsApp.

Facebook's new ploy: Accept WhatsApp's terms or delete app

Millions of WhatsApp users in India received an in-app notification from WhatsApp as part of an upcoming global roll-out, asking them to either accept the changes in its Terms of Service and privacy policy by February 8 or their accounts will be deleted.

The in-app notification did not elicit much details but clicking on the links clearly mentioned the key changes in how WhatsApp will collect and process users' information going forward, and the partnership with Facebook, its parent company, as part of a larger unification drive between the family of apps.

"WhatsApp must receive or collect some information to operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market our Services, including when you install, access, or use our Services," the updated policy read.

"Businesses you interact with using our Services may provide us with information about their interactions with you. We require each of these businesses to act in accordance with applicable law when providing any information to us," it further read.

WhatsApp's new Terms of Service and privacy policy will come into effect on February 8.

The mobile messaging platform said that it works with third-party service providers and "other Facebook Companies" to help it operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market its services.

"These companies may provide us with information about you in certain circumstances; for example, app stores may provide us with reports to help us diagnose and fix service issues."

Earlier in October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company is working hard to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp so that they can start to function a little bit more like one connected interoperable system.

In a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps, Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats. The social network has already integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web.

In its updated policy, WhatsApp said that if "you use our Services with such third-party services or Facebook Company Products, we may receive information about you from them".

"For example, if you use the WhatsApp share button on a news service to share a news article with your WhatsApp contacts, groups, or broadcast lists on our Services, or if you choose to access our Services through a mobile carrier's or device provider's promotion of our Services," the company said.

WhatsApp said as part of the Facebook Companies, it can make suggestions for you (for example, of friends or group connections, or of interesting content), like "personalising features and content, helping you complete purchases and transactions, and showing relevant offers and ads across the Facebook Company Products," along with "providing integrations which enable you to connect your WhatsApp experiences with other Facebook Company Products".

"For example, allowing you to connect your Facebook Pay account to pay for things on WhatsApp or enabling you to chat with your friends on other Facebook Company Products, such as Portal, by connecting your WhatsApp account," the new policy explained.

Millions of WhatsApp users in India received an in-app notification from WhatsApp as part of an upcoming global roll-out, asking them to either accept the changes in its Terms of Service and privacy policy by February 8 or their accounts will be deleted.

Millions of WhatsApp users in India received an in-app notification from WhatsApp as part of an upcoming global roll-out, asking them to either accept the changes in its Terms of Service and privacy policy by February 8 or their accounts will be deleted. The in-app notification did not elicit much details but clicking on the links clearly mentioned the key changes in how WhatsApp will collect and process users' information going forward, and the partnership with Facebook, its parent company, as part of a larger unification drive between the family of apps. "WhatsApp must receive or collect some information to operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market our Services, including when you install, access, or use our Services," the updated policy read. "Businesses you interact with using our Services may provide us with information about their interactions with you. We require each of these businesses to act in accordance with applicable law when providing any information to us," it further read. WhatsApp's new Terms of Service and privacy policy will come into effect on February 8. The mobile messaging platform said that it works with third-party service providers and "other Facebook Companies" to help it operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market its services. "These companies may provide us with information about you in certain circumstances; for example, app stores may provide us with reports to help us diagnose and fix service issues." Earlier in October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company is working hard to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp so that they can start to function a little bit more like one connected interoperable system. In a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps, Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats. The social network has already integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web. In its updated policy, WhatsApp said that if "you use our Services with such third-party services or Facebook Company Products, we may receive information about you from them". "For example, if you use the WhatsApp share button on a news service to share a news article with your WhatsApp contacts, groups, or broadcast lists on our Services, or if you choose to access our Services through a mobile carrier's or device provider's promotion of our Services," the company said. WhatsApp said as part of the Facebook Companies, it can make suggestions for you (for example, of friends or group connections, or of interesting content), like "personalising features and content, helping you complete purchases and transactions, and showing relevant offers and ads across the Facebook Company Products," along with "providing integrations which enable you to connect your WhatsApp experiences with other Facebook Company Products". "For example, allowing you to connect your Facebook Pay account to pay for things on WhatsApp or enabling you to chat with your friends on other Facebook Company Products, such as Portal, by connecting your WhatsApp account," the new policy explained.

WhatsApp updates privacy policy, asks users to accept terms or app will be deleted

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/whatsapp">WhatsApp</a> has introduced a new feature to help those who&nbsp;are worried about stepping out of the house to buy groceries amid coronavirus pandemic.

Continuing their strike of new features in the year of 2020, the messaging app has introduced&nbsp;WhatsApp Cart feature through which people can order the day-to-day items, instead of going outdoors.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapps-feature-of-disappearing-messages-launched-in-india-344797">WhatsApp's feature of 'disappearing messages' launched in India</a>

<h3>WhatsApp Cart</h3>

Through this feature, the WhatsApp users will be able to browse several&nbsp;catalogues of different types in the Carts feature. Once the user likes an item, they can click on 'Message Business' option to know the details about the product(s) and the business, and then click on 'Add to Cart' option to buy the selected product(s) through WhatsApp Cart.

After the items are added in the cart,&nbsp;the customer can either go back to the shopping window and use&nbsp;'Add More' option to increase the cart value, or directly message the shopkeeper if the user has finalised the order.

Have a look|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-instagram-to-whatsapp-victims-of-facebooks-buy-and-bury-strategy-348884">From Instagram to Whatsapp: Victims of Facebook's 'buy and bury' strategy</a>

Through this new feature of WhatsApp Cart, the messaging app will come in direct competition with other e-commerce retail websites and mobile apps such as Amazon, Zomato and Swiggy who have been providing similar services since the first lockdown, which was imposed all over the world.

WhatsApp's new feature will allow people to restrict their outdoor visits especially at a time when the world is preparing itself for a new strain of the novel coronavirus, which has been spotted in the UK, South Africa, Italy and now Australia.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-will-facebook-be-forced-to-sell-instagram-and-whatsapp-348929">Also watch|</a>

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WhatsApp has introduced a new feature to help those who are worried about stepping out of the house to buy groceries amid coronavirus pandemic. Continuing their strike of new features in the year of 2020, the messaging app has introduced WhatsApp Cart feature through which people can order the day-to-day items, instead of going outdoors.

WhatsApp has introduced a new feature to help those who are worried about stepping out of the house to buy groceries amid coronavirus pandemic. Continuing their strike of new features in the year of 2020, the messaging app has introduced WhatsApp Cart feature through which people can order the day-to-day items, instead of going outdoors. Also read| WhatsApp's feature of 'disappearing messages' launched in India WhatsApp Cart Through this feature, the WhatsApp users will be able to browse several catalogues of different types in the Carts feature. Once the user likes an item, they can click on 'Message Business' option to know the details about the product(s) and the business, and then click on 'Add to Cart' option to buy the selected product(s) through WhatsApp Cart. After the items are added in the cart, the customer can either go back to the shopping window and use 'Add More' option to increase the cart value, or directly message the shopkeeper if the user has finalised the order. Have a look| From Instagram to Whatsapp: Victims of Facebook's 'buy and bury' strategy Through this new feature of WhatsApp Cart, the messaging app will come in direct competition with other e-commerce retail websites and mobile apps such as Amazon, Zomato and Swiggy who have been providing similar services since the first lockdown, which was imposed all over the world. WhatsApp's new feature will allow people to restrict their outdoor visits especially at a time when the world is preparing itself for a new strain of the novel coronavirus, which has been spotted in the UK, South Africa, Italy and now Australia. Also watch| ×

Home shopping: WhatsApp introduces new feature of 'cart'

Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly every US state filed lawsuits against the social media company.

The several lawsuits say the social media giant uses a "buy or bury" strategy to snap up rivals and keep smaller competitors at bay.

The lawsuits also highlight the growing bipartisan consensus to hold Big Tech accountable for its business practices and mark a rare moment of agreement between the Trump administration and Democrats, some of whom have advocated breaking up both Google and Facebook.

With the filing of the twin lawsuits on Wednesday, Facebook becomes the second big tech company to face a major legal challenge this year after the US Justice Department sued Alphabet Inc's Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of using its market power to fend off rivals.

The complaints on Wednesday accuse Facebook of buying up rivals, focussing specifically on its previous acquisitions of photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014.

Federal and state regulators said the acquisitions should be unwound -- a move that is likely to set off a long legal challenge as the deals were cleared years earlier by the FTC.

Facebook's general counsel Jennifer Newstead called the lawsuits "revisionist history" and said antitrust laws do not exist to punish "successful companies." She said WhatsApp and Instagram have succeeded after Facebook invested billions of dollars in growing the apps.

"The government now wants a do-over, sending a chilling warning to American business that no sale is ever final," Newstead said.

Newstead also raised doubts about alleged harms caused by Facebook, arguing that consumers benefited from its decision to make WhatsApp free, and rivals like YouTube, Twitter and WeChat did "just fine" without access to its developer platform.

In a post on Facebook's internal discussion platform, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees he did not anticipate "any impact on individual teams or roles" as a result of the lawsuits, which he said were "one step in a process which could take years to play out in its entirety."

Zuckerberg told employees in July that Facebook would "go to the mat" to fight a legal challenge to break up the company, calling it an "existential" threat, according to audio of internal company meetings published by The Verge.

The lawsuits are the biggest antitrust cases in a generation, comparable to the lawsuit against Microsoft Corp in 1998. The federal government eventually settled that case, but the yearslong court fight and extended scrutiny prevented the company from thwarting competitors and is credited with clearing the way for the explosive growth of the internet.

Last month, Facebook said it was buying customer service start-up Kustomer, in an acquisition that the Wall Street Journal said valued Kustomer at $1 billion.

Facebook also bought Giphy, a popular website for making and sharing animated images, or GIFs, in May. That acquisition has already drawn scrutiny from the United Kingdom's competition watchdog.

Facebook shares fell as much as 3% after the news before paring losses to close down 1.9%.

(with inputs)

Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly every US state filed lawsuits against the social media company.

Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly every US state filed lawsuits against the social media company. The several lawsuits say the social media giant uses a "buy or bury" strategy to snap up rivals and keep smaller competitors at bay. The lawsuits also highlight the growing bipartisan consensus to hold Big Tech accountable for its business practices and mark a rare moment of agreement between the Trump administration and Democrats, some of whom have advocated breaking up both Google and Facebook. With the filing of the twin lawsuits on Wednesday, Facebook becomes the second big tech company to face a major legal challenge this year after the US Justice Department sued Alphabet Inc's Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of using its market power to fend off rivals. The complaints on Wednesday accuse Facebook of buying up rivals, focussing specifically on its previous acquisitions of photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. Federal and state regulators said the acquisitions should be unwound -- a move that is likely to set off a long legal challenge as the deals were cleared years earlier by the FTC. Facebook's general counsel Jennifer Newstead called the lawsuits "revisionist history" and said antitrust laws do not exist to punish "successful companies." She said WhatsApp and Instagram have succeeded after Facebook invested billions of dollars in growing the apps. "The government now wants a do-over, sending a chilling warning to American business that no sale is ever final," Newstead said. Newstead also raised doubts about alleged harms caused by Facebook, arguing that consumers benefited from its decision to make WhatsApp free, and rivals like YouTube, Twitter and WeChat did "just fine" without access to its developer platform. In a post on Facebook's internal discussion platform, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees he did not anticipate "any impact on individual teams or roles" as a result of the lawsuits, which he said were "one step in a process which could take years to play out in its entirety." Zuckerberg told employees in July that Facebook would "go to the mat" to fight a legal challenge to break up the company, calling it an "existential" threat, according to audio of internal company meetings published by The Verge. The lawsuits are the biggest antitrust cases in a generation, comparable to the lawsuit against Microsoft Corp in 1998. The federal government eventually settled that case, but the yearslong court fight and extended scrutiny prevented the company from thwarting competitors and is credited with clearing the way for the explosive growth of the internet. Last month, Facebook said it was buying customer service start-up Kustomer, in an acquisition that the Wall Street Journal said valued Kustomer at $1 billion. Facebook also bought Giphy, a popular website for making and sharing animated images, or GIFs, in May. That acquisition has already drawn scrutiny from the United Kingdom's competition watchdog. Facebook shares fell as much as 3% after the news before paring losses to close down 1.9%. (with inputs)

Facebook faces lawsuits that could force sale of Instagram, WhatsApp

WION's West Asia bureau chief Daniele Pagani tracked down the NSO headquarters which had moved out of its original building to an undisclosed building complex in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Exclusive: WION tracks down new NSO headquarters in Tel Aviv

After a few weeks of announcing a new feature of 'disappearing messages', <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/whatsapp">WhatsApp </a>has finally rolled out the feature for its Indian users.

The messaging app will now allow users to switch on and off the feature of having the unread chats disappear after a time limit of seven days. The users were informed about this feature at the beginning of this month.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-introduces-disappearing-messages-to-rollout-in-november-340801" hreflang="en">WhatsApp introduces disappearing messages; to rollout in November</a>

This&nbsp;feature, many believe, has been replicated on the model of Snapchat. The feature will be available on&nbsp;Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS gadgets, alongside WhatsApp Web and Work area stages. As per this feature, all unread messages will start disappearing after seven days, but the users will have the option of switching off this feature from the settings for every individual chat.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-starts-payments-service-in-india-341022">WhatsApp starts payments service in India</a>

However, unlike the messaging service Telegram, WhatsApp will not be providing flexible timings to the users for these features. The feature can either be turned on or off, but the time period of seven days cannot be changed.

"We're beginning with 7 days since we think it offers significant serenity that discussions aren't perpetual while staying commonsense so you remember what you were visiting about. The shopping rundown or store address you got a couple of days back will be there while you need it, and afterward vanish after you don't," the organisation said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/complete-silence-whatsapp-adds-always-feature-to-mute-chats-forever-337377" hreflang="en">Complete silence: WhatsApp adds 'Always' feature to mute chats forever</a>

<h2>How to enable the option</h2>

To enable the feature of 'disappearing messages' in WhatsApp, users can follow the following steps:

<ul>
	<li>Open a particular chat and go in the information section.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Upon opening the information section of the person, you will see the option of 'Disappearing messages' between the options of 'starred messaged' and 'encryption'.</li>
</ul>

<img alt="WhatsApp India disappearing chats/messages feature" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="37249cc7-ced8-4c4b-b8ff-3577b97cb0b7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/WhatsApp%202.jpeg" />

<ul>
	<li>Click on the widget on the right-hand side of the option and a new window will pop up explaining the concept of the feature of 'Disappearing messages'. This will let you know that the messages will disappear if they are sent to a chat that has the feature of 'disappearing messages' on. However, media and messages will not disappear from outside the chat or device they are saved on, and screenshots and forwarding messages is still allowed — enabling users to save the messages.</li>
</ul>

<img alt="WhatsApp India disappearing chats/messages feature" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="917396c7-48cd-45c6-9d99-deeee420a382" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/WhatsApp.jpeg" />

<ul>
	<li>After clicking on 'Continue', you can choose whether or not you want 'disappearing messages' feature to be turned on for that particular chat and then click on the back arrow to save.</li>
</ul>

<img alt="WhatsApp India disappearing chats/messages feature" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1153b7ce-029f-4793-ad42-73abd7d40e8c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/WhatsApp%201.jpeg" />

This will save your revised settings of the new feature, giving you freedom to turn on/off the feature of disappearing messages anytime.

The subtleties of the new element, notwithstanding, were revealed earlier this week through a FAQ page made by WhatsApp was taken note of.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-to-get-new-exciting-features-like-video-calling-on-whatsapp-web-heres-what-to-expect-336664">More new features are expected to be rolled out soon.</a>

After a few weeks of announcing a new feature of 'disappearing messages', WhatsApp has finally rolled out the feature for its Indian users. The messaging app will now allow users to switch on and off the feature of having the unread chats disappear after a time limit of seven days.

After a few weeks of announcing a new feature of 'disappearing messages', WhatsApp has finally rolled out the feature for its Indian users. The messaging app will now allow users to switch on and off the feature of having the unread chats disappear after a time limit of seven days. The users were informed about this feature at the beginning of this month. Also read| WhatsApp introduces disappearing messages; to rollout in November This feature, many believe, has been replicated on the model of Snapchat. The feature will be available on Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS gadgets, alongside WhatsApp Web and Work area stages. As per this feature, all unread messages will start disappearing after seven days, but the users will have the option of switching off this feature from the settings for every individual chat. Also read| WhatsApp starts payments service in India However, unlike the messaging service Telegram, WhatsApp will not be providing flexible timings to the users for these features. The feature can either be turned on or off, but the time period of seven days cannot be changed. "We're beginning with 7 days since we think it offers significant serenity that discussions aren't perpetual while staying commonsense so you remember what you were visiting about. The shopping rundown or store address you got a couple of days back will be there while you need it, and afterward vanish after you don't," the organisation said. Also read| Complete silence: WhatsApp adds 'Always' feature to mute chats forever How to enable the option To enable the feature of 'disappearing messages' in WhatsApp, users can follow the following steps: Open a particular chat and go in the information section. Upon opening the information section of the person, you will see the option of 'Disappearing messages' between the options of 'starred messaged' and 'encryption'. Click on the widget on the right-hand side of the option and a new window will pop up explaining the concept of the feature of 'Disappearing messages'. This will let you know that the messages will disappear if they are sent to a chat that has the feature of 'disappearing messages' on. However, media and messages will not disappear from outside the chat or device they are saved on, and screenshots and forwarding messages is still allowed — enabling users to save the messages. After clicking on 'Continue', you can choose whether or not you want 'disappearing messages' feature to be turned on for that particular chat and then click on the back arrow to save. This will save your revised settings of the new feature, giving you freedom to turn on/off the feature of disappearing messages anytime. The subtleties of the new element, notwithstanding, were revealed earlier this week through a FAQ page made by WhatsApp was taken note of. More new features are expected to be rolled out soon.

WhatsApp's feature of 'disappearing messages' launched in India

Facebook Inc's WhatsApp will start its payments service in India on Friday, the messaging app said in a blog post.

The messaging application, which counts India as its biggest market with more than 400 million users, received approval from the country's leading payments processor to roll out the much-delayed system.

WhatsApp will initially begin scaling up the service with a maximum of 20 million users, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said on Thursday.

WhatsApp had been running a peer-to-peer payments service with limited users for over two years, awaiting regulatory approvals.

"Payments is available now in 10 Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in video statement.

WhatsApp said it had partnered with five Indian banks, including State Bank of India and Jio Payments Bank, for the service.

All major payments players in India use the UPI framework, built by NPCI, for services such as peer-to-peer money transfer, utility payments and phone recharges.

UPI processed over 2.07 billion transactions in October, up from over 1.8 billion the previous month, according to NPCI.

WhatsApp will compete with Alphabet Inc's Google, Walmart's PhonePe and Alibaba -backed Paytm in India's digital payments market, which is expected to more than double in size to $135 billion in 2023 from 2019 levels, according to PwC and Indian industry lobby group ASSOCHAM.

Facebook Inc's WhatsApp will start its payments service in India on Friday, the messaging app said in a blog post. The messaging application, which counts India as its biggest market with more than 400 million users, received approval from the country's leading payments processor to roll out the much-delayed system.

Facebook Inc's WhatsApp will start its payments service in India on Friday, the messaging app said in a blog post. The messaging application, which counts India as its biggest market with more than 400 million users, received approval from the country's leading payments processor to roll out the much-delayed system. WhatsApp will initially begin scaling up the service with a maximum of 20 million users, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said on Thursday. WhatsApp had been running a peer-to-peer payments service with limited users for over two years, awaiting regulatory approvals. "Payments is available now in 10 Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in video statement. WhatsApp said it had partnered with five Indian banks, including State Bank of India and Jio Payments Bank, for the service. All major payments players in India use the UPI framework, built by NPCI, for services such as peer-to-peer money transfer, utility payments and phone recharges. UPI processed over 2.07 billion transactions in October, up from over 1.8 billion the previous month, according to NPCI. WhatsApp will compete with Alphabet Inc's Google, Walmart's PhonePe and Alibaba -backed Paytm in India's digital payments market, which is expected to more than double in size to $135 billion in 2023 from 2019 levels, according to PwC and Indian industry lobby group ASSOCHAM.

WhatsApp starts payments service in India

Facebook Inc on Thursday&nbsp;formally announced that it will present another 'disappearing messages' component via an update this month.

The subtleties of the new element, notwithstanding, were revealed earlier this week through&nbsp;a <a href="https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/chats/about-disappearing-messages">FAQ page</a> made by WhatsApp was taken note of.

Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-update-top-5-new-features-in-the-messenger-app-333999">WhatsApp Update: Top 5 new features in the messenger app</a>

The long-anticipated ephemeral messaging feature pioneered by Snapchat was initially spotted a month ago through a WhatsApp beta variant. It will permit clients to empower an alternative on individual and gathering visits that erases new messages following seven days.&nbsp;

Disappearing&nbsp;messages has begun churning out from today, and will be accessible across Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS gadgets, alongside WhatsApp Web and Work area stages, before the current month's over. WhatsApp had not long ago definite how to empower/impair the new 'disappearing messages' component on various gadgets and distributed FAQs on its use on a help page.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-to-get-new-exciting-features-like-video-calling-on-whatsapp-web-heres-what-to-expect-336664">WhatsApp to get new exciting features like video calling on WhatsApp Web. Here's what to expect</a>

The 'disappearing messages' element on WhatsApp is likewise unique in relation to how it takes a shot at Telegram. While Telegram lets clients choose the length before the messages vanish in a visit, messages shipped off a talk on WhatsApp will vanish following seven days. Snapchat, then again, erases Snaps after they've been opened, erases unopened Snaps shipped off a gathering visit in 24 hours, and all other unopened Snaps in 30 days.&nbsp;

The organisation says that it's beginning with seven days since it appears to be a fitting window for its clients to complete a specific discussion while giving them the significant serenity that the discussions aren't perpetual. "We're beginning with 7 days since we think it offers significant serenity that discussions aren't perpetual while staying commonsense so you remember what you were visiting about. The shopping rundown or store address you got a couple of days back will be there while you need it, and afterward vanish after you don't," the organisation said in an assertion.&nbsp;

The disappearing messages highlight must be empowered independently for each visit window — individual or gathering discussions — and can be gotten to by tapping the name of the individual contact or the gathering on WhatsApp. When empowered, the new messages sent by a client will vanish for the chose contacts following seven days. Be that as it may, the see of disappearing messages may show in warnings until WhatsApp is opened on the accepting gadgets. Vanishing messages that are sent to another visit window, which has the choice killed, won't be taken out either. Furthermore, when a client answers to a vanishing message, the cited text may likewise stay in the talk following seven days.&nbsp;

Clients getting the messages can likewise still duplicate the content and take screen captures of the messages inside seven days. Vanishing messages will likewise land in client reinforcements yet will be erased after the client reestablishes messages from it. Given that there are numerous approaches to hold talks shared through vanishing messages, it appears to be more similar to an alternative to clear up discussions than an element to share data that erases naturally.&nbsp;

Aside from Telegram and now WhatsApp, other informing applications to have comparative usefulness incorporate Sign and furthermore Facebook Courier which presently has a disappear mode.

Facebook Inc on Thursday formally announced that it will present another 'disappearing messages' component via an update this month. The subtleties of the new element, notwithstanding, were revealed earlier this week through a FAQ page made by WhatsApp was taken note of.

Facebook Inc on Thursday formally announced that it will present another 'disappearing messages' component via an update this month. The subtleties of the new element, notwithstanding, were revealed earlier this week through a FAQ page made by WhatsApp was taken note of. Also read| WhatsApp Update: Top 5 new features in the messenger app The long-anticipated ephemeral messaging feature pioneered by Snapchat was initially spotted a month ago through a WhatsApp beta variant. It will permit clients to empower an alternative on individual and gathering visits that erases new messages following seven days. Disappearing messages has begun churning out from today, and will be accessible across Android, iOS, and Linux-based KaiOS gadgets, alongside WhatsApp Web and Work area stages, before the current month's over. WhatsApp had not long ago definite how to empower/impair the new 'disappearing messages' component on various gadgets and distributed FAQs on its use on a help page. Also read: WhatsApp to get new exciting features like video calling on WhatsApp Web. Here's what to expect The 'disappearing messages' element on WhatsApp is likewise unique in relation to how it takes a shot at Telegram. While Telegram lets clients choose the length before the messages vanish in a visit, messages shipped off a talk on WhatsApp will vanish following seven days. Snapchat, then again, erases Snaps after they've been opened, erases unopened Snaps shipped off a gathering visit in 24 hours, and all other unopened Snaps in 30 days. The organisation says that it's beginning with seven days since it appears to be a fitting window for its clients to complete a specific discussion while giving them the significant serenity that the discussions aren't perpetual. "We're beginning with 7 days since we think it offers significant serenity that discussions aren't perpetual while staying commonsense so you remember what you were visiting about. The shopping rundown or store address you got a couple of days back will be there while you need it, and afterward vanish after you don't," the organisation said in an assertion. The disappearing messages highlight must be empowered independently for each visit window — individual or gathering discussions — and can be gotten to by tapping the name of the individual contact or the gathering on WhatsApp. When empowered, the new messages sent by a client will vanish for the chose contacts following seven days. Be that as it may, the see of disappearing messages may show in warnings until WhatsApp is opened on the accepting gadgets. Vanishing messages that are sent to another visit window, which has the choice killed, won't be taken out either. Furthermore, when a client answers to a vanishing message, the cited text may likewise stay in the talk following seven days. Clients getting the messages can likewise still duplicate the content and take screen captures of the messages inside seven days. Vanishing messages will likewise land in client reinforcements yet will be erased after the client reestablishes messages from it. Given that there are numerous approaches to hold talks shared through vanishing messages, it appears to be more similar to an alternative to clear up discussions than an element to share data that erases naturally. Aside from Telegram and now WhatsApp, other informing applications to have comparative usefulness incorporate Sign and furthermore Facebook Courier which presently has a disappear mode.

WhatsApp introduces disappearing messages; to rollout in November

New Jersey tech entrepreneur Arun Bantval is U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden`s top fake-news watchdog on messaging service WhatsApp about the Democrat and his Indian American running mate Kamala Harris.

Messages on WhatsApp, owned by Facebook Inc, are confidential and cannot be seen by moderators who police misleading memes, claims and other content on the social media giant`s flagship platform. Two billion users rely on WhatsApp`s free app to chat with individuals and groups of up to 256 people.

Bantval, 56, who chairs the Biden campaign`s five-member rapid response team focused on South Asian voters, has tracked dozens of concerning messages of unknown origin and crafted about 50 rebuttal graphics and texts over the last three months.

His team and similar ones at nonpartisan groups are trying to fill WhatsApp`s moderation void by joining big WhatsApp groups and asking community leaders to report items.

Fighting fake news on social media such as Facebook and Twitter has become standard practice for campaigns. But apps for secret messaging such as WhatsApp have flown under the radar despite serving as a crucial political forum among middle-aged Indians, Latinx and other immigrant groups.

South Asian voters, mostly Indian Americans, will be pivotal in the Nov. 3 contest in swing states such as Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania where results will be close and predict the national outcome, researchers and nonpartisan voting advocacy groups say.

About 72% of Indian-American registered voters plan to back Biden, according to a September survey by Carnegie Endowment. But South Asian Biden supporters and nonpartisan activists worry that misinformation on WhatsApp will affect turnout and support.

"There`s just a lot of inaccurate information for an already confusing process," said Chavi Khanna Koneru, executive director of nonpartisan group North Carolina Asian Americans Together. "And this year is different for everybody because we`re relying on virtual connections more than ever."

Each day, users can receive hundreds of memes, videos, voicemails and texts spanning greetings, social invitations and political propaganda. Users regularly forward shocking and humorous messages, with the original sender`s name automatically stripped, making it hard to trace them.

"It`s almost like going viral on Facebook," Bantval said.

WhatsApp said its role in U.S. politics is small. But political misinformation on WhatsApp in Brazil, India and elsewhere prompted the service beginning in 2018 to limit recipients when forwarding messages.

It also introduced a chatbot that users can message to access fact checks by internationally recognized organizations.

But when Reuters queried the system for topics in messages sent to South Asian voters, it generated zero results. 
WhatsApp also said users can search the web from heavily forwarded messages to find relevant fact checks, though Reuters again found no related results.

A campaign spokeswoman for Republican incumbent Donald Trump said WhatsApp was not a focus for its social media staff. But some misleading messages on the app target him over racial justice policies and alleged extramarital affairs, according to Indian voters from both parties.

"There`s more on the Democratic candidates, but there is fake news about the Republican side, too," said Kannan Srinivasan, an Orlando businessman.

TAPPING INTO FEARS

It is unclear where WhatsApp misinformation originates or whether the examples observed by Bantval and others are part of organized efforts. They said spelling and wording suggest some authors are Indian residents who view Trump as better for bilateral relations.

Messages seen by Reuters and sent to swing-state voters portray Biden`s views on Pakistan, Islam, China, taxation and policing in ways debunked by fact-checking groups.

Bantval said the misrepresentations preyed on older Indian immigrants concerns about crime, wealth and religion.

Other messages sent to South Asian voters in Texas and North Carolina, seen by Reuters, contain false claims that ballots will not count when voters select a Democrat in every contest or when election officials sign dropped off ballots.

Koneru estimated her North Carolina group spends about 15% of its time correcting inaccuracies about voting procedures on WhatsApp and other popular services compared with 2% during the 2016 presidential election.

"We do our best to jump in and clarify but there`s so many WhatsApp groups," she said.

New Jersey tech entrepreneur Arun Bantval is U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden`s top fake-news watchdog on messaging service WhatsApp about the Democrat and his Indian American running mate Kamala Harris.

New Jersey tech entrepreneur Arun Bantval is U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden`s top fake-news watchdog on messaging service WhatsApp about the Democrat and his Indian American running mate Kamala Harris. Messages on WhatsApp, owned by Facebook Inc, are confidential and cannot be seen by moderators who police misleading memes, claims and other content on the social media giant`s flagship platform. Two billion users rely on WhatsApp`s free app to chat with individuals and groups of up to 256 people. Bantval, 56, who chairs the Biden campaign`s five-member rapid response team focused on South Asian voters, has tracked dozens of concerning messages of unknown origin and crafted about 50 rebuttal graphics and texts over the last three months. His team and similar ones at nonpartisan groups are trying to fill WhatsApp`s moderation void by joining big WhatsApp groups and asking community leaders to report items. Fighting fake news on social media such as Facebook and Twitter has become standard practice for campaigns. But apps for secret messaging such as WhatsApp have flown under the radar despite serving as a crucial political forum among middle-aged Indians, Latinx and other immigrant groups. South Asian voters, mostly Indian Americans, will be pivotal in the Nov. 3 contest in swing states such as Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania where results will be close and predict the national outcome, researchers and nonpartisan voting advocacy groups say. About 72% of Indian-American registered voters plan to back Biden, according to a September survey by Carnegie Endowment. But South Asian Biden supporters and nonpartisan activists worry that misinformation on WhatsApp will affect turnout and support. "There`s just a lot of inaccurate information for an already confusing process," said Chavi Khanna Koneru, executive director of nonpartisan group North Carolina Asian Americans Together. "And this year is different for everybody because we`re relying on virtual connections more than ever." Each day, users can receive hundreds of memes, videos, voicemails and texts spanning greetings, social invitations and political propaganda. Users regularly forward shocking and humorous messages, with the original sender`s name automatically stripped, making it hard to trace them. "It`s almost like going viral on Facebook," Bantval said. WhatsApp said its role in U.S. politics is small. But political misinformation on WhatsApp in Brazil, India and elsewhere prompted the service beginning in 2018 to limit recipients when forwarding messages. It also introduced a chatbot that users can message to access fact checks by internationally recognized organizations. But when Reuters queried the system for topics in messages sent to South Asian voters, it generated zero results. WhatsApp also said users can search the web from heavily forwarded messages to find relevant fact checks, though Reuters again found no related results. A campaign spokeswoman for Republican incumbent Donald Trump said WhatsApp was not a focus for its social media staff. But some misleading messages on the app target him over racial justice policies and alleged extramarital affairs, according to Indian voters from both parties. "There`s more on the Democratic candidates, but there is fake news about the Republican side, too," said Kannan Srinivasan, an Orlando businessman. TAPPING INTO FEARS It is unclear where WhatsApp misinformation originates or whether the examples observed by Bantval and others are part of organized efforts. They said spelling and wording suggest some authors are Indian residents who view Trump as better for bilateral relations. Messages seen by Reuters and sent to swing-state voters portray Biden`s views on Pakistan, Islam, China, taxation and policing in ways debunked by fact-checking groups. Bantval said the misrepresentations preyed on older Indian immigrants concerns about crime, wealth and religion. Other messages sent to South Asian voters in Texas and North Carolina, seen by Reuters, contain false claims that ballots will not count when voters select a Democrat in every contest or when election officials sign dropped off ballots. Koneru estimated her North Carolina group spends about 15% of its time correcting inaccuracies about voting procedures on WhatsApp and other popular services compared with 2% during the 2016 presidential election. "We do our best to jump in and clarify but there`s so many WhatsApp groups," she said.

Fake news spread on WhatsApp to Indian Americans plays stealth role in US election

Till now, the messaging app WhatsApp allowed users to mute chats for eight&nbsp;hours, one&nbsp;week and one year, and after that the users had to re-mute the chats.

However, now, with a new update, WhatsApp has solved this problem for users. The messaging app has now added an option of 'Always' that will allow users to mute the unwanted chats forever.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You can now mute a chat forever 🤫 <a href="https://t.co/DlH7jAt6P8">pic.twitter.com/DlH7jAt6P8</a>
— WhatsApp Inc. (@WhatsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/1319461499354509313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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If the chat is put on mute, the users will receive notification (in the notification bar) but their phones will not vibrate or ring the notification sound when a message is received in that particular chat. This means the users can still see and read the updates of the chat, but they can also enjoy the silence.

To mute a chat forever, you have to open the chat you wish to mute, then click on the subject of the chat. You will see the option of 'Mute notifications' in the details. Upon clicking (or sliding) on the option, a dropbox will appear on the screen with three options:&nbsp;8 Hours, 1 Week and Always.&nbsp;

<img alt="WhatsApp" data-align="left" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="43ef2f39-5377-46f0-811a-3b4c46ee3406" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/WhatsApp.jpg" />

Users can simply click on 'Always' and check the box for 'Show notifications' if they still want to see notifications in the bar.&nbsp;

The feature was being tested out for the past few weeks and has now been rolled out for Android and iOs users.

Till now, the messaging app WhatsApp allowed users to mute chats for eight hours, one week and one year, and after that the users had to re-mute the chats. However, now, with a new update, WhatsApp has solved this problem for users.

Till now, the messaging app WhatsApp allowed users to mute chats for eight hours, one week and one year, and after that the users had to re-mute the chats. However, now, with a new update, WhatsApp has solved this problem for users. The messaging app has now added an option of 'Always' that will allow users to mute the unwanted chats forever. You can now mute a chat forever 🤫 pic.twitter.com/DlH7jAt6P8 — WhatsApp Inc. (@WhatsApp) October 23, 2020 × If the chat is put on mute, the users will receive notification (in the notification bar) but their phones will not vibrate or ring the notification sound when a message is received in that particular chat. This means the users can still see and read the updates of the chat, but they can also enjoy the silence. To mute a chat forever, you have to open the chat you wish to mute, then click on the subject of the chat. You will see the option of 'Mute notifications' in the details. Upon clicking (or sliding) on the option, a dropbox will appear on the screen with three options: 8 Hours, 1 Week and Always. Users can simply click on 'Always' and check the box for 'Show notifications' if they still want to see notifications in the bar. The feature was being tested out for the past few weeks and has now been rolled out for Android and iOs users.

Complete silence: WhatsApp adds 'Always' feature to mute chats forever

Fraudsters are using various tricks to cheat people and defraud them of their money. Watch the video to know more

Don't fall prey to online scams on Paytm, WhatsApp and other popular apps

New features on Whatsapp | WhatsApp - the messaging platform is at the helm of social media applications. Run by Facebook - one of the four Big Tech companies, its features complement those of its sister platforms like Instagram and Facebook.&nbsp; So if any feature exists on one of these platforms, expect it to show up on all eventually. For instance - “Stories”. By imitating the Snapchat model of quick short lived stories, Instagram mastered it, further emulating it on Facebook and WhatsApp.

In a bid to keep the app updated and fresh, new features are introduced every once in a while. Take a look at what to expect!

WhatsApp Web calling

Do you use WhatsApp web more often than the mobile app, especially while working? Worry not! Now you may not need to use your phone for video and audio calls.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/whatsapp-update-top-5-new-features-in-the-messenger-app-333999" hreflang="en">WhatsApp Update: Top 5 new features in the messenger app</a>

According to WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp web client is getting the calling feature very soon, and are being tested right now.

Expiring media

Instagram already has it, and now WhatsApp is going to get it. Expiring media implies images, gifs, and videos, and perhaps even messages with a shelf life. Once the stipulated period (probably to be decided by users) ends, the media will disappear from the chat, and without saying “this message was deleted”.

History sync&nbsp;

Do you switch your OS platforms often? And never get to retrieve your chats from the previous OS? Worry not! WhatsApp is solving that once and for all, by allowing users to copy chats from divide to another, regardless of the OS they run on.

Multi-device support

Do you use more than one smartphone, but feel restricted to using WhatsApp on one? The company may be working out something for you. With support for multi-device usage, Whatsapp will allow users to access the same account from different devices.

Wallpaper

WhatsApp already lets users decide what image they want to use as the application wallpaper, which appears as the background in chats. This feature is being expanded. According to WABetaInfor, the app will introduce more generic wallpapers from the company, with more personalisation options.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/whatsapp-business-now-has-over-15-million-users-in-india-introduces-new-features-312199" hreflang="en">WhatsApp Business now has over 15 million users in India; introduces new features</a>

For all tech news, follow www.wionews.com/technology&nbsp;

New features on Whatsapp | WhatsApp - the messaging platform is at the helm of social media applications. Run by Facebook - one of the four Big Tech companies, its features complement those of its sister platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

New features on Whatsapp | WhatsApp - the messaging platform is at the helm of social media applications. Run by Facebook - one of the four Big Tech companies, its features complement those of its sister platforms like Instagram and Facebook. So if any feature exists on one of these platforms, expect it to show up on all eventually. For instance - “Stories”. By imitating the Snapchat model of quick short lived stories, Instagram mastered it, further emulating it on Facebook and WhatsApp. In a bid to keep the app updated and fresh, new features are introduced every once in a while. Take a look at what to expect! WhatsApp Web calling Do you use WhatsApp web more often than the mobile app, especially while working? Worry not! Now you may not need to use your phone for video and audio calls. Also read: WhatsApp Update: Top 5 new features in the messenger app According to WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp web client is getting the calling feature very soon, and are being tested right now. Expiring media Instagram already has it, and now WhatsApp is going to get it. Expiring media implies images, gifs, and videos, and perhaps even messages with a shelf life. Once the stipulated period (probably to be decided by users) ends, the media will disappear from the chat, and without saying “this message was deleted”. History sync Do you switch your OS platforms often? And never get to retrieve your chats from the previous OS? Worry not! WhatsApp is solving that once and for all, by allowing users to copy chats from divide to another, regardless of the OS they run on. Multi-device support Do you use more than one smartphone, but feel restricted to using WhatsApp on one? The company may be working out something for you. With support for multi-device usage, Whatsapp will allow users to access the same account from different devices. Wallpaper WhatsApp already lets users decide what image they want to use as the application wallpaper, which appears as the background in chats. This feature is being expanded. According to WABetaInfor, the app will introduce more generic wallpapers from the company, with more personalisation options. Also read: WhatsApp Business now has over 15 million users in India; introduces new features For all tech news, follow www.wionews.com/technology

WhatsApp to get new exciting features like video calling on WhatsApp Web. Here's what to expect

WhatsApp's 5 new features Update -&nbsp;WhatsApp needs no introduction. The omnipresent messaging app has occupied space in our personal as well as professional lives. It keeps on bringing new features. Continuous WhatsApp update means users can get to experience new features.

WhatsApp's 5 new features are sure to make it more popular than it already is

These are WhatsApp's Top 5 new features:

Always mute

We can block an undesirable person but what to do when you can't block a person but still want tp ignore his/her messages?

WhatsApp has rolled out Always Mute option for its beta users on Android and iOS. While muting a chat, this option lets us 'Always mute' it instead of just 1 year. This option was spotted on WhatsApp's 2.20.197.3 update

&nbsp; 
WhatsApp new features: Storage usage section redesign

A better UI was spotted in the section that dealt with storage usage. This was spotted in Android Beta version v2.20.201.9

The better UI offered more visual cues to manage the storage in a much better way.

 
WhatsApp new features: Expiring media

This is an extension of 'expiring messages'. When a user sends an expiring media (Image, GIF, Video etc) It will get deleted from the recipient's phone as soon as he/she leaves the chat.

 
WhatsApp new features Update: Multi-device support

This feature lets a user use a single WhatsApp account on different devices. This was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.199.5

 
New wallpaper feature

This was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.199.5&nbsp;

This allows user to choose a different wallpaper based on the theme used in the app.

WhatsApp's 5 new features Update - WhatsApp needs no introduction. The omnipresent messaging app has occupied space in our personal as well as professional lives.

WhatsApp's 5 new features Update - WhatsApp needs no introduction. The omnipresent messaging app has occupied space in our personal as well as professional lives. It keeps on bringing new features. Continuous WhatsApp update means users can get to experience new features. WhatsApp's 5 new features are sure to make it more popular than it already is These are WhatsApp's Top 5 new features: Always mute We can block an undesirable person but what to do when you can't block a person but still want tp ignore his/her messages? WhatsApp has rolled out Always Mute option for its beta users on Android and iOS. While muting a chat, this option lets us 'Always mute' it instead of just 1 year. This option was spotted on WhatsApp's 2.20.197.3 update WhatsApp new features: Storage usage section redesign A better UI was spotted in the section that dealt with storage usage. This was spotted in Android Beta version v2.20.201.9 The better UI offered more visual cues to manage the storage in a much better way. WhatsApp new features: Expiring media This is an extension of 'expiring messages'. When a user sends an expiring media (Image, GIF, Video etc) It will get deleted from the recipient's phone as soon as he/she leaves the chat. WhatsApp new features Update: Multi-device support This feature lets a user use a single WhatsApp account on different devices. This was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.199.5 New wallpaper feature This was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.199.5 This allows user to choose a different wallpaper based on the theme used in the app.

WhatsApp Update: Top 5 new features in the messenger app

A lot of students have suffered in academics due to the coronavirus pandemic that sent the world in a lockdown, closing down schools and disrupting classes.

While some European countries are now reopening schools, it is still difficult for the second and third world countries to reopen schools without the fear of spread of the deadly coronavirus.

However, there are some people who are going out of their way to help students, especially the ones who are not privileged enough to hire personal tutors.

One such example is of&nbsp;Basirat Olamide Ajayi who is a teacher of mathematics in lagos, Nigeria. Six months ago, Ajayi came up with the idea of offering mathematics classes through&nbsp;Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, without charging a single penny from the students.

Now, six months later, Ajayi has reached an audience of nearly 2,000 students.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GGJabH81o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Maths is fun Dear SS 3 students, Join me on telegram for free Mathematics class. Click the link below https://t.me/joinchat/QhFNXRxww1hxfUiorUHvvw</a>

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She takes help of these social media platforms to produce and share short videos in which she explains one concept in each video. These video clips are no longer than five minutes and Ajayi uses the simplest ways to explain the concepts to students.

To make sure the students practise, she also gives them occasional assignments and homework, and also grades them. She also makes sure that she answers as many queries as possible.

“Sometimes, I stay awake till 2 a.m. going through their assignments!” she said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/encourage-online-classes-indian-schools-get-guidelines-for-resuming-offline-classes-326238">Also read|&nbsp;'Encourage online classes': Indian schools get guidelines for resuming offline classes</a>

"COVID is here with both negative and positive impacts. The positive impact is that we can use technology to teach our students, which I am very, very happy about,” she continued.

The 36-year-old has also started receiving requests from across the borders now.&nbsp;“The online teaching has made me feel that I can actually teach the whole world mathematics,” she said. “On Twitter people see me all over the world, not only in Lagos, not only in Nigeria. They see me all over the world and that is enough to give me innermost joy.”

Her list of good deeds doesn't end here. She has also gone a step ahead and paid for the mobile data for the students who could not afford it.&nbsp;“Some of them don’t even have data to access the class, and that is not giving me joy at all, as a teacher that wants students to be online,” she said.&nbsp;

A lot of students have suffered in academics due to the coronavirus pandemic that sent the world in a lockdown, closing down schools and disrupting classes. While some European countries are now reopening schools, it is still difficult for the second and third world countries to reopen schools without the fear of spread of the deadly coronavirus.

A lot of students have suffered in academics due to the coronavirus pandemic that sent the world in a lockdown, closing down schools and disrupting classes. While some European countries are now reopening schools, it is still difficult for the second and third world countries to reopen schools without the fear of spread of the deadly coronavirus. However, there are some people who are going out of their way to help students, especially the ones who are not privileged enough to hire personal tutors. One such example is of Basirat Olamide Ajayi who is a teacher of mathematics in lagos, Nigeria. Six months ago, Ajayi came up with the idea of offering mathematics classes through Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, without charging a single penny from the students. Now, six months later, Ajayi has reached an audience of nearly 2,000 students. View this post on Instagram Maths is fun Dear SS 3 students, Join me on telegram for free Mathematics class. Click the link below https://t.me/joinchat/QhFNXRxww1hxfUiorUHvvw A post shared by Ajayi Basirat Olamide (@mathseducator) on Apr 17, 2020 at 1:23pm PDT × She takes help of these social media platforms to produce and share short videos in which she explains one concept in each video. These video clips are no longer than five minutes and Ajayi uses the simplest ways to explain the concepts to students. To make sure the students practise, she also gives them occasional assignments and homework, and also grades them. She also makes sure that she answers as many queries as possible. “Sometimes, I stay awake till 2 a.m. going through their assignments!” she said. Also read| 'Encourage online classes': Indian schools get guidelines for resuming offline classes "COVID is here with both negative and positive impacts. The positive impact is that we can use technology to teach our students, which I am very, very happy about,” she continued. The 36-year-old has also started receiving requests from across the borders now. “The online teaching has made me feel that I can actually teach the whole world mathematics,” she said. “On Twitter people see me all over the world, not only in Lagos, not only in Nigeria. They see me all over the world and that is enough to give me innermost joy.” Her list of good deeds doesn't end here. She has also gone a step ahead and paid for the mobile data for the students who could not afford it. “Some of them don’t even have data to access the class, and that is not giving me joy at all, as a teacher that wants students to be online,” she said.

Watch: Nigerian teacher offers free Mathematics classes through social media

Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats -- in a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps.

The update comes with the message: "There's a New Way to Message on Instagram". It's available&nbsp;for both iOS and Android devices.

Once you hit the update, the regular DM icon in the top right of Instagram is replaced by the Facebook Messenger logo. Currently, the functionality to message Facebook users from Instagram is not possible.

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.

Facebook has also integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web. People can now access Messenger Rooms which allow group video calls of up to 50 people with no time limit via WhatsApp on the desktop.

The Messenger Rooms integration is yet to arrive on WhatsApp on mobile.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier revealed his plans to integrate its chat services to let billions of users message one another across platforms. More than the commercial benefits of the chat integration between the apps, he said he was concerned about data encryption.

Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats -- in a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps. The update comes with the message: "There's a New Way to Message on Instagram".

Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats -- in a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps. The update comes with the message: "There's a New Way to Message on Instagram". It's available for both iOS and Android devices. Once you hit the update, the regular DM icon in the top right of Instagram is replaced by the Facebook Messenger logo. Currently, the functionality to message Facebook users from Instagram is not possible. Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. Facebook has also integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web. People can now access Messenger Rooms which allow group video calls of up to 50 people with no time limit via WhatsApp on the desktop. The Messenger Rooms integration is yet to arrive on WhatsApp on mobile. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier revealed his plans to integrate its chat services to let billions of users message one another across platforms. More than the commercial benefits of the chat integration between the apps, he said he was concerned about data encryption.

Facebook begins merging Instagram, Messenger chats, says report

A judge of US district court in California has granted permission for WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO to proceed.

In a ruling Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she allowed the case to procced as she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users.&nbsp;

According to Judge Hamilton it appears that NSO Group ''retained some role'' in the targeting of individuals, ''even if it was at the direction of their customers''.

The case will now proceed to discovery, in which both sides can request documents and records.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said ''The decision also confirms that WhatsApp will be able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices''.&nbsp;

Judge Hamilton also highlighted the underlying facts in the case, that someone sent malicious code and malware through WhatsApp's servers, did not appear to be disputed. I

nstead, the lawsuit revolved around whether NSO Group’s ''sovereign customers'' were to blame, or the company itself.

Earlier, an Israeli court on Monday rejected a bid by rights group Amnesty International to revoke the export license of spyware firm NSO Group over hacking allegations.&nbsp;

NSO has faced multiple accusations of cyber-espionage on human rights activists and others, including by the messaging service WhatsApp, which is suing the company in a US court. &nbsp;

Many of the allegations have centred on the company's Pegasus product, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target's cellphone camera and microphone and access data on it, effectively turning the phone into a pocket spy.

Amnesty claimed the technology was used against one of its staffers and petitioned a Tel Aviv court to revoke its defence ministry issued export licence.&nbsp;

The rights group added that NSO's products are helping governments commit rights violations "from Saudi Arabia to Mexico".

NSO has been in the headlines since 2016 when researchers accused it of helping spy on an activist in the United Arab Emirates.

Founded in 2010 by Israelis Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, NSO Group is based in the Israeli hi-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.&nbsp;

It says it employs 600 people in Israel and around the world.

A judge of US district court in California has granted permission for WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO to proceed. In a ruling Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she allowed the case to procced as she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users.

A judge of US district court in California has granted permission for WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO to proceed. In a ruling Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she allowed the case to procced as she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users. According to Judge Hamilton it appears that NSO Group ''retained some role'' in the targeting of individuals, ''even if it was at the direction of their customers''. The case will now proceed to discovery, in which both sides can request documents and records. A WhatsApp spokesperson said ''The decision also confirms that WhatsApp will be able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices''. Judge Hamilton also highlighted the underlying facts in the case, that someone sent malicious code and malware through WhatsApp's servers, did not appear to be disputed. I nstead, the lawsuit revolved around whether NSO Group’s ''sovereign customers'' were to blame, or the company itself. Earlier, an Israeli court on Monday rejected a bid by rights group Amnesty International to revoke the export license of spyware firm NSO Group over hacking allegations. NSO has faced multiple accusations of cyber-espionage on human rights activists and others, including by the messaging service WhatsApp, which is suing the company in a US court. Many of the allegations have centred on the company's Pegasus product, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target's cellphone camera and microphone and access data on it, effectively turning the phone into a pocket spy. Amnesty claimed the technology was used against one of its staffers and petitioned a Tel Aviv court to revoke its defence ministry issued export licence. The rights group added that NSO's products are helping governments commit rights violations "from Saudi Arabia to Mexico". NSO has been in the headlines since 2016 when researchers accused it of helping spy on an activist in the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2010 by Israelis Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, NSO Group is based in the Israeli hi-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. It says it employs 600 people in Israel and around the world.

US judge grants permission for lawsuit against Israeli software firm NSO to proceed

Students who have passed class X from Board of School Education Haryana and want to enroll in class XI in the state`s government schools can send their class X result and necessary documents to the principal of school concerned on WhatsApp and seek admission. 
 
Students are also not required to submit any fee currently. 
 
As per the official release of the Haryana Chief Minister`s Office (CMO), the decision is taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is in the interest of the students.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/india-news/haryana-announces-reopening-of-schools-and-colleges-in-phases-50-students-to-attend-in-shifts-303216" hreflang="en">Haryana announces reopening of schools and colleges in phases; 50% students to attend in shifts</a> 
 
"As per this initiative of the State Government in view of the safety of students, the students will get admission to class XI while staying at their homes," Haryana Education Minister, Kanwar Pal said. 
 
The Education Minister congratulated Class X students of Board of School Education Haryana for their best results. 
 
This time the pass percentage of regular students has been 64.59 per cent, while it was 57.39 per cent in the year 2019 and 51.15 per cent in the year 2018. 
 
He also urged the teachers to stay in touch with their class students.

Students who have passed class X from Board of School Education Haryana and want to enroll in class XI in the state`s government schools can send their class X result and necessary documents to the principal of school concerned on WhatsApp and seek admission.

Students who have passed class X from Board of School Education Haryana and want to enroll in class XI in the state`s government schools can send their class X result and necessary documents to the principal of school concerned on WhatsApp and seek admission. Students are also not required to submit any fee currently. As per the official release of the Haryana Chief Minister`s Office (CMO), the decision is taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is in the interest of the students. Also read: Haryana announces reopening of schools and colleges in phases; 50% students to attend in shifts "As per this initiative of the State Government in view of the safety of students, the students will get admission to class XI while staying at their homes," Haryana Education Minister, Kanwar Pal said. The Education Minister congratulated Class X students of Board of School Education Haryana for their best results. This time the pass percentage of regular students has been 64.59 per cent, while it was 57.39 per cent in the year 2019 and 51.15 per cent in the year 2018. He also urged the teachers to stay in touch with their class students.

In Haryana, students can enrol in class XI through WhatsApp

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