WhatsApp Delays Controversial Data Changes amid Public Outcry

By Staff, Agencies 

WhatsApp announced on Friday that it would postpone changes to its terms of service for at least three months amid an outcry the mobile messaging service would share confidential data with its parent company, Facebook.

We are now delaying the date by which users will be required to review and agree to the terms," the company said in a blog post. 

The changes, which were supposed to come into effect on February 8, will now be pushed back to May 15.

WhatsApp said the update would not "strengthen our ability to share data with Facebook", but was primarily intended to help businesses communicate better with their customers through the platform. 

“We know there has been confusion and misinformation about this update, and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts,” the company said.

WhatsApp conversations will continue to be end-to-end encrypted and neither Facebook nor WhatsApp will be able to see these private messages, the company says.

The announcement of the update last week caused panic and anger among many of its users, who claimed the messaging service was abandoning its core founding values regarding privacy rights. 

The application has built its reputation in particular on data protection.