Recently WhatsApp rolled out its new policy update and everyone started seeing the above in-app alert in their WhatsApp messenger. For now, you can choose to ignore this alert but if you don’t tap on the agree button by Feb 8th, 2021 you will no longer be able to use WhatsApp.
After seeing this alert everyone started deleting their WhatsApp account and started shifting to new messaging platforms.
But what has caused these users to shift from a platform they been using for such a long period of time?
In this post, we will do a step by step walkthrough of all the information that’s been circulating and will try to understand this sudden shift so let’s begin
Whatsapp is already sharing user information with Facebook since August 2016
In the year 2016 WhatsApp announced in one of its blogs that it will be sharing some information with Facebook to provide you better ads, friend suggestions, etc.
But previously WhatsApp gave an option to opt-out of these data-sharing policies. With the recent update the user can no longer opt-out and either you accept the terms by Feb 8th, 2021 or you say goodbye to WhatsApp.
It’s our data and we should have total control over what can and cannot be shared with a company, this move feels like the company is forcing its end users to accept these policies or move out of the WhatsApp bus.
Every app collects user data
Yes that’s a fact, every application be it mobile or web collects user information as to how you are using its services so that they can improve themselves, let’s go with the example of a banking application
Banking app collect information about you like
- What browser or Mobile app you are using
- Your IP address
- Your location
- The transaction you are making during the session
We all trust our banks with this information, as they don’t sell this information to any third party, but we are not sure how Facebook will use our information, it does mention to improve service, but really does a company need so many details from its end-user to just improve its “service”?
All these conversations have opened up a new segment where people are now eager to know what details about them are being recorded by their app and how the company plans to use their digital profile.
With the new policy changes will Whatsapp or Facebook read my chat or record my video calls?
The answer is NO because chats and video calls in WhatsApp are still end-to-end encrypted at the moment.
Facebook has no plans to remove end-to-end encryption from WhatsApp but the future is unpredictable and Facebook in the name of improving its “service” could make some changes again to its app after all WhatsApp is their product.
This lack of trust has caused many users to delete their accounts from WhatsApp and move to other platforms like Telegram and Signal which we will talk about as well.
What information will be sent from WhatsApp to Facebook after Feb 8th?
Facebook does not need a specific date to collect data from you, it already collects lots of information about you from its various application as shown in the image below
After February 8th, 2021 Whatsapp too will start syncing all the user information it collects to Facebook as a part to improve its parent companies “service”.
Why should I shift to other platforms where I don’t have anyone to talk to?
Your privacy is your personal matter, if you know that an app is collecting additional data for no reason then maybe it's a sign that you should move away from such platforms and probably educate others too.
We often are busy with our lives these days that we tend to ignore what data is being collected from us in the name of “service” improvements. It's time we take a 5-second pause and ask questions like why is this app collecting additional information from me to function?
For example, look at the data Facebook messenger app collects in the above image, for some reason it collects my health & fitness data, now why would a chat app need to collect your health & fitness data? Sounds suspicious but maybe it’s because Facebook wants to improve it’s “service”
If a company wants to improve its service then it will collect diagnostic logs or what we call crash reports and will improve their code or performance bugs in their software than spying on their end-user for no reason.
Facebook who is the prime leader in social media knows a lot more about you already from its Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook app, all these apps collect data about you and now WhatsApp too will collect the same and sync with Facebook.
The question arises should a company have this much information about you? And should your government allow apps to collect such information about you in the name of improving their “services”?
Privacy is a major concern for some users and if you are one of those users then make the shift without worrying about who will follow and who will not. It’s your data and you should govern it and not some company.
What are the other options that I have?
Let’s talk about the two options that you have already heard of which are Telegram and Signal app.
Telegram and Signal both are cross-platform applications which means you have iOS, Android, and desktop versions of these applications. Telegram offers a web interface as well but for security reasons Signal does not have a web interface yet.
Let’s talk about Telegram first
Secret chats are always encrypted, default chats are not
If we are talking privacy then telegram’s default chats are not end-to-end encrypted, there’s an option called secret chats which is end-to-end encrypted.
The below image is a screenshot from the telegram apps FAQ section where they are explaining how secret chat works, to know more you can click on the source of the image given in the caption
I think with users making shifts from one platform to another, Telegram will soon realize that they need to provide end-to-end encryption as the default option.
Telegram groups
You can create groups in telegram and can add up to 200,000 members in a group which is massive when compared to the 256 member limit of WhatsApp.
Telegram file share limit
Telegram offers you huge file-sharing options too where you can share a file up to 1.5GB in size.
Information collected by Telegram
This is a screenshot from the apple app store and as you can see telegram does not collect much of your user information, it just gathers what's needed and that’s it.
As you can see it collects far less information as compared to Facebook apps.
Now let’s talk about the signal app
Signal offers end-to-end encryption by default
Signal offers end to end encryption by default, there’s no concept of secret chats, Signal app is built by keeping privacy in mind so you can talk, chat, and video freely.
Signal groups
You can add up to 1000 members in a group. One of the things I noticed in the signal documentation is that signal does not record any of your group activities
Information collected by the signal app
The image is from the apple app store and as you can see the signal app really does a wonderful job when it comes to the privacy of the user and does not collect any information from you apart from your contact details.
This is the reason why people like Anand Mahindra, Edward Snowden, Elon Musk came forward to show their support for the Signal app.
Privacy is a very serious topic and must be taken seriously, it’s your private space don’t let it be some corporate companies playground.
I hope this topic was helpful in answering a few of your questions and if not then please feel free to ask as comments and do share this topic with anyone who has recently seen the WhatsApp popup or has asked you what that popup means.
