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
-
Barcelona move a dream for Gordon ‘since he was three’
2 hours -
US judge orders Trump’s name be removed from Kennedy Center
2 hours -
Multiple artists drop out of US Freedom 250 concert
2 hours -
Trump holds meeting to make ‘final determination’ on Iran deal
2 hours -
All 6 MPC members voted for policy rate hold of 14%, citing inflation outlook concerns
2 hours -
Arsenal’s Timber fit to start Champions League final
3 hours -
Real Madrid named football’s most valuable club
4 hours -
The Visionary Rhythms Band to share their story on E Vibes this weekend
4 hours -
Nana Ajoa Amowah II distributes sanitary pads; champions fight against menstrual stigma
4 hours -
Newsfile to discuss NITA Bill, xenophobia concerns and 2023 African Games
4 hours -
Ghana farmers’ burning practices fuel growing air pollution and environmental crises
4 hours -
Unrivalled thrills, unmissable action: An epic sporting weekend
4 hours -
Mfantsipim launches 150th Anniversary Awards and Fundraising Dinner
4 hours -
TreeAid Ghana in partnership with Nviron Hive launch land restoration and livelihood project
5 hours -
Ashanti Region GJA urges journalists to protect ethics and public trust above politics
5 hours