A WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI that no accounts will be
deleted on May 15 for not accepting the policy update.
"No accounts will be deleted on May 15 because of this
update and no one in India will lose functionality of WhatsApp either. We will
follow up with reminders to people over the next several weeks," the
spokesperson said in an emailed response to a query on Friday.
The spokesperson added that while a "majority of users
who have received the new terms of service have accepted them", some
people have not had the chance to do so yet.
However, the company did not clarify the reason behind the
decision and did not divulge the number of users who have accepted the terms so
far.
In January this year, WhatsApp had informed users about the
changes in its terms of service and public policy through an in-app
notification. Users were initially given time till February 8 to agree to the
new terms in order to continue using the platform.
According to WhatsApp, the key updates include more
information about its service and how it processes user data; how businesses
can use Facebook hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats; and
how WhatsApp partners with Facebook to offer integrations across the company
products.
WhatsApp has insisted that the acceptance of the privacy
policy update does not expand its ability to share user data with Facebook.
However, user backlash over WhatsApp's alleged sharing of
user information with Facebook forced the company to postpone the February
deadline to May 15.
The WhatsApp spokesperson said the company has spent the
last few months working to "clear up confusion and misinformation".
"As a reminder, this update does not impact the privacy
of personal messages for anyone. Our goal is to provide information about new
options we are building that people will have, to message a business on
WhatsApp, in the future," the spokesperson said.
The company further stated that it will take every
opportunity to explain how it protects people''s personal messages and private
information.
The softening of stance on the deadline comes at a time when
digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp have become lifelines
for people looking for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, plasma donors and
ventilators as the country reels under the deadly second wave of the COVID-19
pandemic.
India is the biggest market for WhatsApp, and the platform
-- as per government data -- has 530 million users in the country.
India remains a critical market for Internet companies like
Facebook with its large population base and burgeoning Internet adoption.
The country is the world's second-largest telecom market and
the biggest consumer of data.
Following the backlash faced by WhatsApp earlier this year,
the popularity of rivals like Telegram and Signal surged as users thronged
these platforms.
WhatsApp, in the past, has said it is open to answering any
questions from the government on the privacy issue and that it will continue to
explain to users that their messages are end-to-end encrypted.
It had also sought to assuage user concerns through blog
posts and tweets by its Global Head Will Cathcart and even full-page ads in
leading dailies in India.
The full statement by a WhatsApp spokesperson can be seen
below in its entirety.
We've spent the last few months working to clear up
confusion and misinformation. As a reminder this update does not impact the
privacy of personal messages for anyone.
Our goal is to provide information about new options we are
building that people will have, to message a business on WhatsApp, in the
future. While the majority of users who have received the new terms of service
have accepted them, we appreciate some people haven't had the chance to do so
yet.No accounts will be deleted on May 15 because of this update and no one in
India will lose functionality of WhatsApp either. We will follow up with
reminders to people over the next several weeks.
We're grateful for the important role WhatsApp plays in
people's lives and we'll take every opportunity to explain how we protect
people's personal messages and private information.
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