Messaging platform WhatsApp finds itself in hot water with users worldwide, following its decision to update its privacy policy that enables it to share users’ data with Facebook and other properties owned by the group.
This update has led to a vast amount of mistrust within several of WhatsApp’s leading marketplaces. One of those regions that have shown the most backlash is India, where users have been uninstalling the messaging app en mass.
As a solution, many past WhatsApp users in India have decided to migrate to more secure messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal; a trend that has enabled these apps to overtake WhatsApp in the download charts in India for the first time ever.
With over 400 million users in India, WhatsApp began its damage control swiftly, starting with an advertising campaign costing tens of millions of rupees this week alone. The company decided to post ads in at least 10 English and Hindi language newspapers, with announcements reading: “Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA.”
WhatsApp representatives claim that the latest privacy policy update will not affect the privacy of messages with friends and family members and that the changes to its privacy policy only refers to users’ interactions with businesses.
