Whatsapp is postponing the introduction of the new data protection rules
No time right now?
In the past few days, WhatsApp competitors suddenly reported millions of new entries. The reason: Facebook’s chat service startled its users with changes in data protection. Now Whatsapp pulls the emergency brake – and emphasizes that not that much has changed.
Whatsapp is postponing the introduction of the new data protection rules after criticism and a churn of users by a good three months. So far you should agree to the new conditions by February 8th if you wanted to continue using the chat service belonging to Facebook. Now the new data protection guideline should only apply from May 15th, like Whatsapp announced on Friday.
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Whatsapp: Extended data forwarding to Facebook not provided
According to Whatsapp, the changes are primarily about creating better ways to communicate with companies. The so-called end-to-end encryption, with which chat content is only visible in clear text to the participating users, but not even to WhatsApp itself, is not shaken. There are also no plans to forward data to Facebook. Outside the EU, some WhatsApp user data has been sent to Facebook for advertising purposes or to improve products – albeit since 2016.
Whatsapp is the world’s most successful chat service with more than two billion users, followed by Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion). In the past few weeks, Whatsapp alternatives such as Telegram, Signal or Threema have reported a strong increase – because users left Whatsapp after the announcement of the new data protection directive. Whatsapp complained about the spread of false information about the changes, which they want to clear up by mid-May.
Facebook wants to earn money with Whatsapp
The fact that Whatsapp should also become a channel for communication between companies and their customers has been a central idea for some time as to how Facebook could ultimately earn money with the chat service. The online network bought Whatsapp in 2014 for around 22 billion dollars. Another consideration was advertising in the so-called status area of the app, where users can post photos for their contacts for a day. But this has been put on hold.
Whatsapp alternatives: Messenger from Signal to Threema to Wire can do that
Whatsapp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton left Facebook a few years ago. According to media reports, there were differences of opinion with Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg. Acton is a central donor for the Signal app – which uses the same encryption technology as Whatsapp. Acton joined calls to leave Facebook following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg presented the plan some time ago to focus Facebook more on completely encrypted communication. Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram’s chat function should also share a technical platform. The US government and more than 40 states are currently calling for Facebook to be broken up by splitting off Whatsapp and Instagram. A common technical infrastructure would make such projects more difficult. dpa
