Name: WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian Acton
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WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian Acton

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Search+››› WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian ActonBy , Last Updated: Jan 14, 2021, 04:37 PM ISTSynopsis toldAnumeha Chaturvedi in an interview that he finds WhatsApp’s new privacy policy “very confusing” and “hard to follow.” Acton cofounded WhatsApp with Jan Koum and sold it to for $19 billion in 2014. He left the company over concerns about commercial messaging and monetisation. Currently executive chairman of the Signal Foundation, Acton spoke about India being ahead of the curve in adopting the best technology, Signal’s record growth in the past two weeks and concerns over data and privacy with regard to WhatsApp and Facebook. Excerpts:India is WhatsApp’s biggest market and its privacy policy update has sparked concerns over user data sharing and privacy here. What is your take on the updated privacy policy and terms of service?Having read the privacy policy, I found it to be very confusing and hard to follow. Facebook is trying to thread a very particular needle around how they use your data to serve you ads. With the updates, you still have the premise of data being shared back to Facebook so that they can increase their capability to target customers.How has Signal benefitted from the uproar over WhatsApp’s privacy policy? How have India and other markets responded to Signal?India is a country that has always been ahead of the curve at adopting the best technology, and it’s exciting to see it happening again. We are all committed to living up to the high standards that people in India have come to expect. As a company policy, we do not share download numbers publicly. However, we've seen record-setting growth this past week. Signal is topping the charts on the iOS App store in over 70 countries including India and the Android App Store in over 35 countries. We continue to anticipate high growth in the coming period as more and more people choose privacy first.The record growth we are seeing around the world is due to India leading the way. One of those reasons is because of our policy to keep no data and to never serve any ads. We don't want to know anything. Not who you talk to, or how many messages you send, not even what your profile picture looks like. Your data is for you alone.What is the USP of Signal? Despite its signature security features, it has been trailing behind rival Telegram in India.A: We are growing exponentially. However, unlike any other popular messaging apps, we do not include trackers, ads or analytics in our software at all, which always lead to drastic underreporting of our numbers by many “app intelligence” firms. Being the No. 1 downloaded app in the App Store in India means to me that the country has chosen that privacy matters. As more and more of our lives happen online, data protection and privacy are critical. It’s important for people from all walks of life and in every part of the world. Everyone deserves to be protected. Signal knows nothing about you and won't ever serve you ads. It was founded to fulfil people’s basic expectations that they won’t be tracked by private companies or the government. Signal can’t read user messages or listen to calls, and no one else can either. Unlike other popular messaging apps, Signal does not have access to users’ contacts, social graph, group data, group membership, profile name, profile avatar, location data, gif searches...With end-to-end encryption, the content of every communication is understandable only to the sender and the recipient. If an exchange is intercepted, by a hacker or a government agency, the interceptor sees a nonsensical snarl of letters and numbers. Signal keeps no call logs or data backups. We have made sure the app is very easy to operate and one can also set your messages to disappear over time, or photos to disappear after a single viewing. Signal’s engineers are working hard to ship the features people are requesting the most.What are the other big concerns around privacy and data when we talk of Facebook and WhatsApp?The concerns around data and privacy for Facebook and WhatsApp are the same for any tech company--what do you do with all of this very sensitive information? I cannot stress enough how wonderful it is to be part of a company that doesn't ever have that issue.Facebook has not been able to curb rising misinformation on WhatsApp and that has led to regulators coming after the giant. What does it need to do to stem the flow of misinformation and abuse on Facebook as well as WhatsApp?I don't think it's my place to speak on what Facebook or WhatsApp should or shouldn't do. As global citizens, we all need to help each other increase our awareness of misinformation and support each other to curb it. As a father, I spend time with my children and explain to them how the internet works and how they have to navigate it safely. I am committed to making sure their digital literacy is high so they can avoid the pitfalls of social media.Experience Your Economic Times Newspaper, The Digital Way!&nbsp;»Stay on top of and that matters. to our daily newsletter for the latest and must-read tech news, delivered straight to your inbox.Subscribe to YesNoCan't sayXContinue reading with one of these options:Limited AccessFreeLogin to get access to some exclusive stories &amp; personalised newslettersLogin NowUnlimited AccessStarting @ Rs120/monthGet access to exclusive stories, expert opinions &amp; in-depth stock reportsSubscribe NowTo read full story, subscribe to ET Prime₹34 per weekBilled annually at₹2499Already a Member? 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Search+››› WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian ActonBy , Last Updated: Jan 14, 2021, 04:37 PM ISTSynopsis toldAnumeha Chaturvedi in an interview that he finds WhatsApp’s new privacy policy “very confusing” and “hard to follow.” Acton cofounded WhatsApp with Jan Koum and sold it to for $19 billion in 2014. He left the company over concerns about commercial messaging and monetisation. Currently executive chairman of the Signal Foundation, Acton spoke about India being ahead of the curve in adopting the best technology, Signal’s record growth in the past two weeks...

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WhatsApp's new privacy policy 'very confusing': Signal's Brian Acton

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