WHO GOT MY DATA?
On January 4, millions of WhatsApp users across the world found an in-app pop-up notifying them that from February 8 the messenger platform’s terms of services and privacy policy would change, and users must accept the new terms to keep using the app. In the new privacy policy, WhatsApp removed a passage on allowing users to opt out of sharing certain data with Facebook, its parent firm.
This ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ policy led to massive outrage against WhatsApp for being cavalier with its users’ privacy. Many shifted to other chat platforms such as Telegram and Signal. WhatsApp saw a 7 per cent decline in daily instals within a week of the release of the new privacy policy. In contrast, Signal saw an 18-fold increase in downloads between January 6 and 10. In India, two PILs—one in the Supreme Court and
