WhatsApp wants users to understand privacy policy changes WhatsApp's privacy policy is set to change.

This is very difficult to do, and the idea of WhatsApp sharing new data with its parent company, Facebook, is not well-liked. It does not matter how trivial the data in question may be.

WhatsApp has come under fire for its new privacy policy, especially the prospect of sharing more user data with its parent company, Facebook. As a result, rumors and misinformation spread online that both companies would have access to the content of private conversations and other personal information. [especially since messages are encrypted end-to-end and cannot be accessed by anyone. The company explained that nothing will actually change in terms of what data will be shared between WhatsApp and Facebook, only that the privacy policy will become more transparent; new data will only be provided from interactions with companies via WhatsApp.

And now WhatsApp is attempting to pass that message directly to its users; WhatsApp has already attempted to do so once through its status feature, but now a more aggressive approach seems to be being taken. As such, WhatsApp users will see a banner explaining the implications of the privacy policy change.

There was a bit of confusion getting to this point, but this is not a bad idea. Privacy policies and terms of service are notoriously difficult to read, and people just click accept without actually understanding what they are agreeing to. More companies should take this approach and explain everything in a way that even someone without a law degree can understand.

WhatsApp's user perception of its privacy policy has reportedly led to a mass exodus of users to rival services like Signal and Telegram. It remains to be seen if this new banner will lead to better user understanding and retention, but getting the message directly to users is the best way to manage it.

As it stands, the policy is still scheduled to be fully enforced by May 15. Until then, users will have to decide whether to accept the new policy or use WhatsApp's alternative service.