Instant messaging platform WhatsApp is updating its terms and privacy policy, and users were notified on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the notification that popped up on the app, key updates include information about WhatsApp's service and how it processes user data. The new terms and privacy policy take effect on February 8, 2021 and users have until then to accept these updates. A user will need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp, the platform said.
The most significant change is that Facebook-owned WhatsApp says that user data will be shared across Facebook and the companies it owns. This includes Facebook Payments Inc and Facebook Payments International Limited, Onavo, Facebook Technologies, LLC and Facebook Technologies Ireland Limited, WhatsApp Inc. and WhatsApp Ireland Limited, and CrowdTangle.
“We may share information about you within our family of companies to facilitate, support and integrate their activities and improve our services,” WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy states.
As per WhatsApp’s privacy policy, which was updated on January 4, it said that it ‘must’ receive and collect some information to “operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our services, including when you install, access, or use our services.” WhatsApp has reiterated that all messages are encrypted end-to-end, which means that neither WhatsApp, nor a third party can read them.
While some information is compulsorily required without which WhatsApp said it cannot provide services to a user, other information it collects depends on how a user uses the app, it said.
The compulsory information includes mobile phone number and basic information (including a profile name of your choice) to create a WhatsApp account. “If you don’t provide us with this information, you will not be able to create an account to use our services. You can add other information to your account, such as a profile picture and "about" information,” WhatsApp said.
WhatsApp said that it doesn’t retain a user’s messages. These messages are stored on the user’s device and not on WhatsApp’s servers. Once messages are delivered, they are deleted from its servers.
However, in the course of delivering a message, WhatsApp’s servers store undelivered messages in encrypted form for up to 30 days and if a message is still undelivered after 30 days, WhatsApp claims to delete it.
“When a user forwards media within a message, we store that media temporarily in encrypted form on our servers to aid in more efficient delivery of additional forwards,” WhatsApp adds.
WhatsApp collects information about user activity such as how you use WhatsApp, your settings, how you interact with others, the time, frequency, and duration of your activities, among others. This also includes information about when a user registered on WhatsApp, the features they use such as messaging, calling, etc, profile photo, "about" information, among others.
It also collects information on what device you use, mobile network, IP address, among others. It also collects and uses precise location information from your device, but with your permission.
If applicable laws permit, users can provide WhatsApp with the phone numbers in their address book regularly using a ‘contact upload’ feature. “If any of your contacts aren’t yet using our services, we’ll manage this information for you in a way that ensures those contacts cannot be identified by us,” WhatsApp said.
WhatsApp said that if you use WhatsApp Pay, the company processes additional information, including payment account and transaction information.
“Payment account and transaction information includes information needed to complete the transaction (for example, information about your payment method, shipping details and transaction amount). If you use our payments services available in your country or territory, our privacy practices are described in the applicable payments privacy policy,” it adds.
Read the complete detailed privacy policy here.