African users won’t dump WhatsApp even with a Facebook privacy fear
"It is too big and too entrenched in daily life to go anywhere."
WhatsApp may have delayed its plans to share its commercial user data with parent company Facebook due to global outcry over privacy but even if it does move ahead with the plans digital watchers say it’s unlikely there’d ever be an exodus from the app in Africa.
On Jan. 4 WhatsApp’s 2 billion users started receiving a message to accept news terms for an updated privacy policy, but unlike standard updates, which users often click without reading this one immediately sparked suspicion and concerns that rapidly went global. The concern was about allowing WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook, Instagram, and other third-party firms.
The outcry was so loud WhatsApp has now postponed the update till mid-May, three months away from the initial Feb. 8 deadline blaming “confusion” surrounding the announcement.
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