REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The messenger service Whatsapp, which belongs to Facebook, has used the status function of its app to get in direct contact with users.
In its message, the company assures its users that their chats will continue to be end-to-end encrypted and thus remain secure.
In January Whatsapp announced a change to its terms of use, which was widely interpreted to mean that personal data such as contacts and locations would now be shared with the parent company Facebook.
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The messenger service Whatsapp, which belongs to Facebook, is trying to regain the trust of its users with an unusual method. He uses the direct address in the status, ie in his version of Snapchat or Instagram stories. There the app informs every user about the company’s commitment “for your privacy”. Similar to Instagram, which also belongs to Facebook, which provides information about new functions after updates in the stories, Whatsapp is now using the direct approach to its users to clear up the data protection confusion that occurred last month.
Opposite the technology portal “The Verge” a Whatsapp spokesman justified this step as follows: “There was a lot of misinformation and confusion around our last update and we wanted to clarify for everyone the facts how Whatsapp protects the privacy and security of its users.” And further: “From now on we will be Provide users with new information in the status so that Whatsapp informs them directly. Our first update of this kind confirms that Whatsapp cannot see the personal messages – just like Facebook – because they are end-to-end encrypted. “
The current Whatsapp status
Whatsapp
WhatsApp data and chats of private users are still not shared with Facebook
The messenger service is currently trying to limit the damage after an update to the terms of use earlier this month was largely interpreted to mean that personal data such as phone numbers and locations would now be shared with the parent company Facebook. After a corresponding announcement was displayed as a pop-up when the app was opened, more privacy-conscious messengers such as Signal or Telegram recorded a real rush of new users, which in the meantime even led to technical problems at Signal.
As early as mid-January, Whatsapp had it in one Blogpost announced that the update will be postponed from February to May to initially address user concerns. The messenger service is now trying to make it clear that users’ concerns about their privacy are unfounded. The chats of private users would remain completely unaffected by the changes, so the service in a FAQ on its own website. Only companies that use WhatsApp for advertising purposes and for customer contacts are therefore able to host these chats via Facebook and manage chat processes there. In such communication with a company, information can be used for marketing purposes, including advertising on Facebook. Such chats would be labeled accordingly, according to the messenger service.
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