After the changes in the privacy policy by Facebook-owned WhatsApp, the company has been criticized a lot and the same has reflected in the number of users worldwide. As per the latest reports, millions of users have already stopped using WhatsApp in the UK and have started using either Telegram or Signal. WhatsApp has been trying to convey the message to global users that the new changes are not going to compromise security and privacy and the changes have only been implemented to make the services better.
However, it does not seem to affect the users from changing their choice of messaging app, especially when Whatsapp is not giving them any choice to not accept the changes and continue using the app. The UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said that the changes in the privacy policy are the only reason millions of users in the UK have stopped using WhatsApp and the number is going to increase even further. As per the official statement, “Users expect companies to maintain their trust and not to suddenly change the contract that they have with the users.”
The backlash against Facebook’s unwelcome privacy policy was already something people were aware of, but the changes in WhatsApp which do not give any other option to the users unless they accept the changes, have lead to the uproar and it seems that the company is going to have a lot of problems in the future. The same issue has also been taken into consideration by many governments and the latest example of the same is the Indian government who has been handling the case through a special committee.