WhatsApp on Tuesday sent users a notification informing that its Terms of Service was being updated. And as millions of Indian users realised that they would have to agree to a new privacy policy unless they wanted their accounts to be deleted, the outrage began.
While the in-app notification did not elicit much details but clicking on the links clearly mentioned the key changes in how WhatsApp will collect and process users' information going forward, and the partnership with Facebook, its parent company, as part of a larger unification drive between the family of apps.
The update comes in the wake of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 2020 announcement that the company is working hard to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. And as people read through the lengthy list of data that the app would be collecting under its updated policy, many have been crying foul.
While some have taken this as an opportunity to urge people to switch to the Telegram or Signal app, many seem resigned to the update. "So did you all read the WhatsApp privacy policy or just accepted without reading it (like me)?" asked one Twitter user.
Others still have resorted to memes to express their feelings on the subject. Take a look at some of the posts:
The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)