WhatsApp's Policy Update A Move Towards Transparency on Data Sharing With Businesses
Changes such as storing of undelivered messages and media files on its servers may be a concern for users, although these will be stored in encrypted form. The major takeaway is that WhatsApp is letting users know about how it shares data with businesses that use WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook. So in terms of user rights, we are better informed about WhatsApp’s ongoing practices. While this is a global update, there are some items which differ for the EU because the privacy law there is significantly different. Interestingly, users have no option but to accept the Privacy Policy as it is, or stop using the app altogether. Most global privacy laws require companies to take staggered consent based on the type of data they are collecting. Take the example of cookies, this Privacy Policies does not give you the option of disallowing cookies being placed on your device - something which you must have seen on many websites. This is a clear confirmation that data about you that is collected on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is fast becoming one dataset. This Privacy Policy is a good insight into how WhatsApp will operate as we see it expand further into payments, e-commerce, and even insurance going forward. We find repeated mention of user data being shared for marketing and survey purposes, over and above the many reminders that Facebook companies also have access to your information. As WhatsApp’s operations grow, all of these interlinkages will become more relevant and data from one type of service will feed into another, as we have already been noticing. This policy will also have to be re-looked after the Personal Data Protection Bill is implemented, which is aligned to global regulations in many respects.
