There has been quite a noise across the world after Whatsapp introduced its new privacy policy which needs to be accepted before the 15th of May in order to keep using Whatsapp. Till now, sharing our data with Facebook was optional but now with the new privacy policy, it has been made mandatory or they will close your account.
Table of Contents
What is Whatsapp’s privacy policy?
The privacy policy is asking us to consent the sharing of our data with its parent company facebook. Facebook will be able to get our:-
- Phone Number
- The name of the device which we are using
- The operating system which we are using
- Our Location
- Our IP Address
- The Language we are using on the phone
- The mobile network
Facebook will use all this information to target us with personalized advertisements.
What things Whatsapp will not share?
The things which Whatsapp will not share are:-
- Whatsapp cannot see our private messages or hear our calls and neither can Facebook.
- Whatsapp will not share our contacts with Facebook.
- Whatsapp will not share the logs of who everyone is calling or messaging.
- Whatsapp cannot see our shared live location and neither can Facebook.
- Whatsapp shall not share any data regarding private groups with Facebook.
After backlash by all the communities world-wide, Whatsapp themselves have clarified these things in a series of tweets.
Why is everyone concerned about this privacy policy?
Everyone around the world is concerned with this privacy policy because there is more than what meets the eye. But mostly, it’s about the amount of control that Facebook will have our lives and how much it can influence it. It’s a major concern that Facebook may not stop at this. The more data it has, the more lethal it can become in the future because as we know, data is the new gold.
Why can we not sue Whatsapp?
We cannot sue Whatsapp because there is no law in place to govern this kind of privacy violations. And as there is no law, WhatsApp can do whatever it wants with the data as it is a private entity.
If we use a private platform to do anything, it will be that entity’ owner’s decision on how he wants us to use it. Many countries across the world have strict privacy laws which applies even on private appslike whatsapp. That’s why Whatsapp has not introduced this policy in the European Union region and the UK.
What did the Court say on Whatsapp’s privacy policy?
The Delhi High Court said that Whatsapp is voluntary and if we do not agree with its privacy policy, we are free to leave the platform. We do not have a right to speech using other’s property and Whatsapp is private property. The Courts also cannot do anything in this case because their work is to look if the laws are being implemented properly. But it can nothing if no laws exist in the first place for an issue like this.