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A couple of weeks ago, news broke that WhatsApp would start encouraging users to agree to its problematic new privacy policy. And by "encourage," we mean that they would start disabling some of the app's features for users that refused to agree. It was, to put it lightly, a big freakin' deal in an increasingly ugly saga of WhatsApp transitioning to a less user-focused service. A new report indicates that WhatsApp is backing away from this contentious behavior.
Germany just banned WhatsApp's new privacy policy, and all of the EU might be next
Facebook isn't allowed to process personal data from WhatsApp for its own purposes in Germany
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WhatsApp's controversial new privacy policy is slated to go into effect on May 15 worldwide — except for in Germany. The country has been scrutinizing the new WhatsApp privacy policy since mid-April, and a data regulation body finally decided to enforce a ban on the revision using procedures introduced with the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
WhatsApp will progressively kill features until users accept new privacy policy
May 15 deadline has been shelved but WhatsApp has found a new way to be evil
WhatsApp didn't start the year on a very good note as it almost instantly entangled itself in a controversy when it rolled out a new privacy policy. While the company had to push back the initial deadline to May 15, a new report suggests WhatsApp is scrapping the deadline altogether, but not without severe consequences for those who don't agree to the new policy.
WhatsApp's new privacy policy is so bad it might be illegal
A German data protection agency has opened proceedings
WhatsApp has been facing one hell of a backlash ever since it shared that it wanted to update its privacy policy with changes that would allow Facebook to aggregate all of its users' data across all of its services. And now, the company might be in for some regulatory issues, as well. A German privacy regulator (via Bloomberg) has opened proceedings to stop the company from moving forward with the privacy policy update.
India wants to block WhatsApp's controversial privacy policy update
Facing heat in its largest market
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WhatsApp has been under fire for imposing its new Facebook-or-die privacy policy. The sheer criticism regarding this move has not only forced it to delay the implementation deadline but also caused an exodus that is seeing users flock to Telegram and Signal. Dealing yet another blow to the Facebook-owned messaging service is a letter written by an Indian government ministry that asks WhatsApp to withdraw the new privacy policy altogether.
You have until April 26th to keep T-Mobile from sharing your personal data with advertisers
The new privacy policy is opt-out, requiring a manual settings change
T-Mobile bills itself as the "un-carrier," but don't ever take a corporation at its made-up word. According to new changes to its privacy policy, the carrier (no "un") is automatically enrolling its 100+ million customers in a targeted advertising program, selling their web and app usage data to partners. Customers can opt out, but the default will be opt-in starting on April 26th.
WhatsApp extends deadline to accept new privacy policy after people fled to other platforms
Users have until May 15 to agree to the terms, which are supposedly only related to messaging businesses
WhatsApp in damage-control mode after its Facebook-or-die ultimatum
There’s no way to opt out of these intrusive privacy policy changes
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Facebook has a long history of privacy lapses, including some more serious ones, and the mere fact that it owns some of the most widely used social media apps already concerns privacy-conscious users. While WhatsApp was still able to keep a fair distance from Facebook’s unreliable privacy practices, that fringe benefit is soon going away, as the messaging app has decided to enforce new usage terms that give its parent company more control over your WhatsApp data.
Google adds new privacy protections for Chrome extensions
The Chrome Web Store will display each extension's user data practices
It finally seems like people are becoming more aware about the importance of privacy online. Google has been working to improve its public image when it comes to user data privacy recently, including setting new privacy standards for Chrome extensions last year. Now the company is announcing an update to its developer policy that limits what developers of extensions can do with user data, as well as provides increased transparency regarding data-use practices.
Facebook announced yesterday that it's going to be making policy changes for users around the world based on the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although GDPR doesn't take effect until May 25, Facebook says it's rolling out the changes in Europe this week, with other regions following later.
Security is a big deal these days. Google understands this, which is why its Safe Browsing team is implementing even more mandates for applications. Apps that handle user or device data will soon have to provide their own privacy policies. If this requirement isn't met, warnings may be shown on users' devices.
After receiving a couple of emails from disgruntled Plex users, it's become apparent that the company has made some changes to its privacy policy. It's being accused by some customers of trying to sneak in a revision that removes the ability to opt out of data collection, with some worrying that this may lead to the selling of user data. To allay those fears, Plex CEO Keith Valory has released a statement outlining why the changes were made and what further changes will be made to placate users.
In a not-so-shocking turn of events, Evernote has reversed its privacy policy stance that I wrote about earlier. The company is not going to implement it and will instead make machine learning and human review opt-in — you know, the way it should have been from the get-go.
One of the newest storms to hit the Internet was the change to Evernote's privacy policy. While this is usually reserved for those of us who can wade through varying levels of legalese (I admit that I'm weird), I do recommend that all users of the note-taking service take a quick pass through one section in particular. And even though people all over are up in arms, there are a few key points to consider.
Google Play Store Increases Transparency, Now Lets App Developers Publish Privacy Policies
One of the changes to the Play Store announced at Google I/O as "coming soon" was the ability for app developers to publish links to their privacy policies,
One of the changes to the Play Store announced at Google I/O as "coming soon" was the ability for app developers to publish links to their privacy policies, thus making their intentions more transparent right out of the gate. By using Android apps, we allow a lot of personal information to travel through the tubes, and it's in everyone's best interests to disclose just what exactly happens to it in an open way.