Audio By Carbonatix
Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has started posting Status messages to users about its “commitment to your privacy.”
The in-app messages were appearing for members of The Verge staff in the US and UK on Saturday, and some users reported the Status messages — WhatsApp’s version of Snapchat Stories or Twitter Fleets—have been appearing in India for a while now.
“There’s been a lot of misinformation and confusion around our recent update and we want to help everyone understand the facts behind how WhatsApp protects people’s privacy and security,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said in an email to The Verge.
“Going forward, we’re going to provide updates to people in the Status tab so people hear from WhatsApp directly. Our first update reaffirms that WhatsApp cannot see your personal messages, and neither can Facebook, because they are protected by end-to-end encryption.”
The messages read “One thing that isn’t new is our commitment to your privacy,” and a reminder that “WhatsApp can’t read or listen to your personal conversations as they’re end-to-end encrypted.”

The messages are part of a larger effort from WhatsApp to dispel misperceptions about an upcoming update to its privacy policy.
The update is meant to explain how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook’s servers. WhatsApp previewed the changes to business chats in November.
Given Facebook’s history of privacy blunders, however, users misinterpreted the changes to the privacy policy to mean WhatsApp would require sharing sensitive profile information with Facebook.
The company posted an FAQ page about the changes, and has pushed back the date the update will take effect from February to May.
It issued a statement earlier this month addressing the confusion to reiterate what the new privacy policy would cover:
The update does not change WhatsApp’s data sharing practices with Facebook and does not impact how people communicate privately with friends or family wherever they are in the world.
WhatsApp remains deeply committed to protecting people’s privacy. We are communicating directly with users through WhatsApp about these changes so they have time to review the new policy over the course of the next month
Amid the ensuing confusion, rival messaging apps Signal and Telegram have both recently seen a surge in new users.
Telegram said last week it’s added the ability for users to import their chat history from WhatsApp. And Signal has added new mainstream chat features like animated stickers and wallpapers to its app.
Latest Stories
-
Halt ratification of revised lithium agreement between Ghana and Barari
7 minutes -
Gov’t will continue to prioritise quality healthcare at all levels – Vice President
9 minutes -
Why the NDC’s reduced Lithium Royalty Rate proposal is “Strange and Legally Baseless” – Africa Policy Lens
16 minutes -
Your non-involvement enabled us to speedily approve our estimates – Ayariga trolls angry Minority
18 minutes -
Christian Council commends government’s Sanitation Week initiative ahead of Christmas
37 minutes -
Ghana risks losing about US$630 million if government reduces lithium royalty rate from 10% to 5% – Africa Policy Lens warns
54 minutes -
Parliament approves budget allocations despite Minority’s chaotic scenes over Kpandai dispute
54 minutes -
GhanaFest Europe debuts in The Hague, showcasing trade and culture
1 hour -
Commercial Curiosity: The Unseen Driver of Opportunity
2 hours -
Mahama calls for public–private partnerships to make healthcare more accessible
2 hours -
Rules being twisted to perpetrate injustice – Oppong Nkrumah on NPP’s withdrawal of cooperation
2 hours -
Chaos erupts in Parliament as Minority storms centre of floor over Kpandai seat controversy
2 hours -
‘We won’t be distracted’ – Ayariga to Minority amid Kpandai protest
2 hours -
Cybele Energy becomes first African company to secure an oil block in Guyana
2 hours -
GSTS Alumni launches Golf Club to support and create opportunities for students
3 hours
