4 ms·

WhatsApp delays privacy changes amid a backlash and user exodus

38 points by jimmy2020 6y ago

omginternets 6y ago
Good, but too late. I'm leaving anyway.
- kevincox 6y ago
  They have showed their intent, and that is what matters.
- cassianoleal 6y ago
  How is it any better? It's only a delay, not a change of heart or, more importantly, terms?
jimmy2020 6y ago
That train has left the station.
willemlabu 6y ago
This feels like a scramble to recoup some lost trust, and I imagine that they're hoping the media storm passes and the exodus stops. I really just hope Signal can get up and running again soon.
mikestew 6y ago
I didn't use WhatsApp much (mainly because of its ownership), but what little I did went out the window a week ago, and this weekend I'll work on moving that group back off text messages and move to Signal. In summary, like other commenters, "Choo Choo", that train has left. I even gave WhatsApp a few days to wise up before I pulled the plug, but nope.
- danmur 6y ago
  They've shown their hand now. Though, I'm sure they'll make a show and get some people back.
jimmy2020 6y ago
Whatsapp official statement: "Giving More Time For Our Recent Update" https://blog.whatsapp.com/giving-more-time-for-our-recent-update https://blog.whatsapp.com/giving-more-time-for-our-recent-up...
- mikestew 6y ago
  There's been a lot of misinformation... If actual weasels could speak English, they would be shocked at the wording. What misinformation? That your app will be sharing data with Facebook? Did we all suffer mass delusion whilst reading the new ToS and privacy policies? With these updates... Sooo, it wasn't actually misinformation at the time, it just turns into misinformation after you changed your mind. Or something; fuck if I'm burning any more cycles trying to parse this, because WhatsApp will remain deleted on my phone.
  - jimmy2020 6y ago
    "misinformation" is the new term to introduce different reality.
kevincox 6y ago
I've deleted my account now. Moved the people I talk to most to Matrix.
julianlam 6y ago
Okay, so now the deadline is May 15 instead of February 8th, but what exactly will WhatsApp be changing? My understanding is that with these new changes, WhatsApp will no longer need permission to share my contact list with Facebook. Though importantly, if I didn't opt-out before, WhatsApp was already sharing this information with Facebook. Right now I don't allow WhatsApp access to my contact list. It means all my messages are to phone numbers, which is a little inconvenient, but not overly so. Come May 15th, will my app just refuse to open my messages list unless access to contacts is granted?
- cassianoleal 6y ago
  On the popup I received to accept the new terms, it said if I didn't accept them, then my account would be deleted. Since they seem to have only delayed the deadline but not changed the terms, I assume all accounts from users who have not accepted the new terms will be deleted on that date. That likely means not only no access to messages, but the deletion of them altogether - or at least I count on that but I don't have a way to verify it.
  - julianlam 6y ago
    Hm, what if I accept the terms but do not share my contact list with WhatsApp? Seems like a tidy loophole.
    - cassianoleal 6y ago
      It's not. There's a lot of metadata there that's not dependent on your contact list. They still have the phone numbers of the people you're in touch with, they have the groups you're part of and all the phone numbers there. To get (most of) your contact list, they just need to cross that information with everybody else's contacts list. Your not sharing is not worth much when everybody else is sharing. On top of that, they also know times you're online, potentially location, who you're messaging with, who you're making audio/video calls with and for how long, etc.
suifbwish 6y ago
What did they honestly think was going to happen?
thenamecaption 6y ago
They know people will leave the app, they have some demographics which we are unaware.

38 points by jimmy2020 6y ago

omginternets 6y ago

Good, but too late. I'm leaving anyway.

kevincox 6y ago
They have showed their intent, and that is what matters.
cassianoleal 6y ago
How is it any better? It's only a delay, not a change of heart or, more importantly, terms?

jimmy2020 6y ago

That train has left the station.

willemlabu 6y ago

This feels like a scramble to recoup some lost trust, and I imagine that they're hoping the media storm passes and the exodus stops. I really just hope Signal can get up and running again soon.

mikestew 6y ago

I didn't use WhatsApp much (mainly because of its ownership), but what little I did went out the window a week ago, and this weekend I'll work on moving that group back off text messages and move to Signal. In summary, like other commenters, "Choo Choo", that train has left. I even gave WhatsApp a few days to wise up before I pulled the plug, but nope.

danmur 6y ago
They've shown their hand now. Though, I'm sure they'll make a show and get some people back.

jimmy2020 6y ago

Whatsapp official statement: "Giving More Time For Our Recent Update" https://blog.whatsapp.com/giving-more-time-for-our-recent-update https://blog.whatsapp.com/giving-more-time-for-our-recent-up...

mikestew 6y ago
There's been a lot of misinformation... If actual weasels could speak English, they would be shocked at the wording. What misinformation? That your app will be sharing data with Facebook? Did we all suffer mass delusion whilst reading the new ToS and privacy policies? With these updates... Sooo, it wasn't actually misinformation at the time, it just turns into misinformation after you changed your mind. Or something; fuck if I'm burning any more cycles trying to parse this, because WhatsApp will remain deleted on my phone.
- jimmy2020 6y ago
  "misinformation" is the new term to introduce different reality.

kevincox 6y ago

I've deleted my account now. Moved the people I talk to most to Matrix.

julianlam 6y ago

Okay, so now the deadline is May 15 instead of February 8th, but what exactly will WhatsApp be changing? My understanding is that with these new changes, WhatsApp will no longer need permission to share my contact list with Facebook. Though importantly, if I didn't opt-out before, WhatsApp was already sharing this information with Facebook. Right now I don't allow WhatsApp access to my contact list. It means all my messages are to phone numbers, which is a little inconvenient, but not overly so. Come May 15th, will my app just refuse to open my messages list unless access to contacts is granted?

cassianoleal 6y ago
On the popup I received to accept the new terms, it said if I didn't accept them, then my account would be deleted. Since they seem to have only delayed the deadline but not changed the terms, I assume all accounts from users who have not accepted the new terms will be deleted on that date. That likely means not only no access to messages, but the deletion of them altogether - or at least I count on that but I don't have a way to verify it.
- julianlam 6y ago
  Hm, what if I accept the terms but do not share my contact list with WhatsApp? Seems like a tidy loophole.
  - cassianoleal 6y ago
    It's not. There's a lot of metadata there that's not dependent on your contact list. They still have the phone numbers of the people you're in touch with, they have the groups you're part of and all the phone numbers there. To get (most of) your contact list, they just need to cross that information with everybody else's contacts list. Your not sharing is not worth much when everybody else is sharing. On top of that, they also know times you're online, potentially location, who you're messaging with, who you're making audio/video calls with and for how long, etc.

suifbwish 6y ago

What did they honestly think was going to happen?

thenamecaption 6y ago

They know people will leave the app, they have some demographics which we are unaware.