How WhatsApp Policy Changes Affect Online Businesses? [2021 updated]

One of the most widely used social media apps, WhatsApp recently became the recipient of enormous criticism due to its updated Terms of Service, which demands its users to accept the terms in order to keep using the app. A good majority of netizens claim that this is a breach of privacy, as WhatsApp’s new ToS update allows them to use users’ personal data across Facebook and Instagram for advertising purposes & more; potentially even spy on users’ personal chats.

Because the ToS update mandates users to agree so as to keep using the app, people have started to look for alternative solutions where their privacy won’t be threatened. Furthermore, a tweet by Elon Musk - The CEO of Tesla also sparked the rise of one alternative solution WhatsApp users can switch to. This solution going by the name of Signal is, according to Musk, a safer, more secure alternative to the evolving WhatsApp. In India, Telegram is being considered as a go-to platform by disgruntled WhatsApp users.

However, now, WhatsApp has issued a clarification regarding the new policy, stating that the ToS update does not affect the privacy of users’ messages with friends or family.

So the next question we ask is who, then, is most affected by the update in WhatsApp Privacy Policy in 2021?



Online Businesses.

As business growth today is heavily influenced by social media, confused social media users will be hesitant to share their data with businesses across such platforms. Many businesses in India operate through WhatsApp Business to serve their customers directly and communicate with them through their personal devices. With WhatsApp’s new update, people have started questioning whether the data they share with businesses through WhatsApp Business or Facebook and Instagram for that matter are safe? This subsequently impacts businesses that invested in customer data collection & preservation, while also impacting businesses that rely on data to foster accelerated growth.

WhatsApp recently clarified that they are offering secure hosting services from Facebook for businesses, and stated: “whether you communicate with a business by phone, email, or WhatsApp, it (business) can see what you're saying and may use that information for its own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook. To make sure you're informed, we clearly label conversations with businesses that are choosing to use hosting services from Facebook."

As the change in WhatsApp's Terms of Service directly impacts users' privacy, it can raise a lot of questions in India where the vast majority of Internet users have WhatsApp/Facebook accounts.


One of the most widely used social media apps, WhatsApp recently became the recipient of enormous criticism due to its updated Terms of Service, which demands its users to accept the terms in order to keep using the app. A good majority of netizens claim that this is a breach of privacy, as WhatsApp’s new ToS update allows them to use users’ personal data across Facebook and Instagram for advertising purposes & more; potentially even spy on users’ personal chats.








Because the ToS update mandates users to agree so as to keep using the app, people have started to look for alternative solutions where their privacy won’t be threatened. Furthermore, a tweet by Elon Musk - The CEO of Tesla also sparked the rise of one alternative solution WhatsApp users can switch to. This solution going by the name of Signal is, according to Musk, a safer, more secure alternative to the evolving WhatsApp. In India, Telegram is being considered as a go-to platform by disgruntled WhatsApp users.







However, now, WhatsApp has issued a clarification regarding the new policy, stating that the ToS update does not affect the privacy of users’ messages with friends or family.







So the next question we ask is who, then, is most affected by the update in WhatsApp Privacy Policy in 2021?



Online Businesses.

As business growth today is heavily influenced by social media, confused social media users will be hesitant to share their data with businesses across such platforms. Many businesses in India operate through WhatsApp Business to serve their customers directly and communicate with them through their personal devices. With WhatsApp’s new update, people have started questioning whether the data they share with businesses through WhatsApp Business or Facebook and Instagram for that matter are safe? This subsequently impacts businesses that invested in customer data collection & preservation, while also impacting businesses that rely on data to foster accelerated growth.



WhatsApp recently clarified that they are offering secure hosting services from Facebook for businesses, and stated: “whether you communicate with a business by phone, email, or WhatsApp, it (business) can see what you're saying and may use that information for its own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook. To make sure you're informed, we clearly label conversations with businesses that are choosing to use hosting services from Facebook."

As the change in WhatsApp's Terms of Service directly impacts users' privacy, it can raise a lot of questions in India where the vast majority of Internet users have WhatsApp/Facebook accounts.


Conclusion:

WhatsApp's new policy could potentially undermine the transparency of online businesses in India. If these updates do not change, chat apps like 'Signal' will gain more momentum. The number of WhatsApp users in the world was 2 billion. Now the number of users has dropped significantly due to the new WhatsApp policy. However, the fact remains that business account data are not secure, and that data will be shared with Facebook and affiliate platforms.