WhatsApp scrambles as users in big Indian market fret over privacy


A WhatsApp advertisement is seen on the front pages of newspapers at a stall in Mumbai, India, January 13, 2021. Picture taken January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - WhatsApp is battling mistrust globally after it updated its privacy policy to let it share some user data with parent Facebook and other group firms, and the backlash risks thwarting its ambitions in its biggest market, India.

Though WhatsApp has yet to see mass uninstalls of its app in India, users concerned about privacy are increasingly downloading rival apps such as Signal and Telegram, research firms say, propelling them higher on the download charts and putting those apps ahead of their ubiquitous rival in India for the first time.

Play, subscribe and stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM39,000! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Swiss finance minister sues for defamation over Grok-created post
Tesla Q1 deliveries likely to dip sequentially as EV demand softens
Wuhan police: Chinese robotaxis stall in apparent 'malfunction'
Device startup Nothing Technology plans to release AI glasses next year
Kenya probes Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses privacy concerns
North Korean hackers suspected in Axios software tool breach
These two countries with social media bans aren’t happy with Google and Meta
Apple tests Siri feature that handles multiple commands at once
'Concerning' number of Australian kids on social media despite ban
France eyes ban on social media for under-15s

Others Also Read