Hong Kong privacy watchdog urges WhatsApp to pump brakes on policy changes, offer alternatives for users

WhatsApp has informed its more than two billion users that they will need to agree to a new policy allowing it to share data with its parent company, Facebook. The move has prompted concerns about how the data might be used, but WhatsApp maintains the information collected will not include the content of messages. — SCMP

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog on Jan 11 urged WhatsApp to delay a Feb 8 deadline for users to agree to controversial new terms – namely having their personal data shared with its parent company Facebook – or face being blocked from key features on the messaging service.

Defending its privacy policy, WhatsApp has insisted “no additional data” other than what it already collects will be shared with Facebook under the change. But many of the city’s users have nonetheless switched, or are considering switching, to other alternatives such as Telegram and Signal.