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

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

Whatsapp

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.

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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 themessages "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."