WhatsApp Privacy Policy 2021 - Account Suspension Date Extended.
History and Foundation of WhatsApp
Whatsapp Privacy Policy, this is for those who are concerned about their privacy. We do not want the encroachment in our personal life. Initially when Facebook started people were not aware of the privacy policy is a thing. They only knew that they have found a way to express a way to share their life with the whole world. Everyone was on Facebook, those who did not join Facebook were talking about it all the time. Our minds adopt new things very easily, this exactly what happened in the case of Facebook.
Jan Koum and Brian Acton are two engineers who were working in Yahoo at the time. This was the year 1997 and from this year they worked in Yahoo for 9 years. In September 2007 they left Yahoo and moved to the United States to work in Facebook. They gave an application to join Facebook and both were rejected.
They took some time and thought about their rejection from Facebook and decided to build their own product instead. Both started working together on WhatsApp. They realized Facebook has two things with it.
- Share your stories online.
- Do personal chat with whoever is available on Facebook.
They thought what if somebody just wants to chat with their friends and do not want to share their stories online. They started working on an application that lets anyone chat without sharing their personal life. On 3 May 2009, the world got WhatsApp.
They have decided not to show Ads on WhatsApp Ever. People appreciated their move not to show Ads. This is why WhatsApp is so famous because it does not have Ads and you will feel like you are using a Premium application. Another thing that WhatsApp had was privacy, They claimed to keep the data private and secure. WhatsApp to date claims that our messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted. No one can see our massages.
The Merger of Facebook and WhatsApp
Facebook bought WhatsApp on February 19, 2014 for 19,000,000,000$. People were worried about the merger because Facebook is infamous for the bad implementation of its privacy policy and persuasion on its platform for Advertisement. WhatsApp is just the opposite, it just lets you chat with your loved ones and keep your data safe and secured. WhatsApp had no intention to earn money and that is why they do not sell the data to anyone.
At the time of Acquisition, Facebook said they will never use the data of WhatsApp on Facebook. Both Facebook and WhatsApp will continue to operate as independent entities. Their second promise is not broken but the first promise is now being broken.
WhatsApp Privacy Policy 2021
Look at the screenshot above and try to understand what are trying to do. I saw this message on my phone on January 5, 2021. I was shocked to see that they have clearly said that they will process our data and business on Facebook will be able to save the chats. All of this is happening in the name of integration.
We all know Facebook has also bought Instagram on April 9, 2012, for 1 Billion dollars. They have integrated Instagram into Facebook in order to let Facebook and Instagram users chat with each other.
The same thing they are trying to do WhatsApp, in the name of integration the whole WhatsApp will act as the messenger of Facebook. The reputation of the Facebook messenger is so bad that there were memes about it.
My Father doesn’t ask me to study as much as Facebook asks me to install messenger.
If you are a Facebook user, you would know about it. A few years ago Facebook was forcing its users badly to install messenger on their phones so that they can snoop into their chats and know what they are talking about. Facebook failed badly because people do not like to be forced. Facebook’s entire business is about what is going on in your personal life so that they can show you ads accordingly.
They want to know your emotions so that they can sell your products accordingly. No place is better to know peoples’ personal chat. Your personal chat reveals everything about you. Even the current mood.
What is worst about this policy that you will have to accept it if you want to keep using WhatsApp. You know no other option but to accept it. For now, the acceptance date is February 8, 2021. If you do not accept it then your account will be permanently deleted from WhatsApp.
Alternative to WhatsApp
If you are the person who is concerned about your privacy, then you will have to move out of Facebook products. Yeah, I am talking about leaving WhatsApp. I know it might be difficult for you but it is a step to take in the current situation.
I personally have been using Telegram for a very long time now. Most of my colleagues and friends have already moved to Telegram.
If you want to know why to join Telegram, that is a topic for another article but you can go to their homepage and read about their features. We have also talked about it in our earlier article “10 Reasons why I have switched to Telegram“
This is the end of this article. Let me end it with some words once posted by Jan Koum (The Founder of WhatsApp).
He said he does not like to be an Entrepreneur because they have ambitions to make money and he does not want to make money. He only wants to make useful products.
Think about these words by the founder of WhatsApp and then think about the current WhatsApp Privacy Policy.
WhatsApp Clarification After Its New Privacy Policy Change
After the huge backlash that WhatsApp is facing nowadays, they have posted a few tweets to curb the situation. Take a look at the Tweets.
We want to address some rumors and be 100% clear we continue to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption.
Our privacy policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family. Learn more about how we protect your privacy as well as what we do NOT share with Facebook here:
Originally tweeted by WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) on January 12, 2021.
WhatsApp Extends the Account Expiration Date
WhatsApp has extended the date of account expiration from February 8 2021 to May 2021. They clearly said in the Tweet that no account will be deleted on February 8. They want to give some time to their users so that they can understand the new policy. Look at their Tweet below.
Thank you to everyone who’s reached out. We’re still working to counter any confusion by communicating directly with @WhatsApp users. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on Feb 8 and we’ll be moving back our business plans until after May –
We will make sure users have plenty of time to review and understand the terms. Rest assured we never planned to delete any accounts based on this and will not do so in the future.
Originally tweeted by WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) on January 15, 2021.
I am leaving you with these words. Stay Safe Stay Healthy, Take Care!
