WhatsApp Reassures Users That Their Data Is Safe Amid Facebook Privacy Scandal

Amid the criticism over data abuse by Facebook, WhatsApp has now reassured its users that their data and communications are secured with end-to-end encryption, nobody in between can read messages and listen to calls - not even WhatsApp itself. The instant messaging app, which is owned by Facebook, has posted a new FAQ section that is specifically designed for WhatsApp Business users - allaying further fears that communications between users and companies may not be secure. The latest move comes weeks after WhatsApp co-founder Brain Acton told his hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter to delete their Facebook accounts.

"All WhatsApp messages and calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. This ensures only you and the person you're communicating with can read your messages or listen to your calls, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp," the company writes in the FAQ titled 'End-to-end encryption for business messages'. The end-to-end encryption has been a part of WhatsApp since April 2016. But as the company recently started pushing the WhatsApp Business app to the front - apparently to generate some revenues, it has now become vital to ensure that messages and calls circulated through the new app are also as secure as the data and communications take place through the general WhatsApp app.

While the messages being delivered to businesses are end-to-end encrypted, it is worth noting here that WhatsApp doesn't ensure the privacy of the communications that take place between businesses and users. This means that when you contact a business, there are chances that your messages will be seen by several people in that business. WhatsApp also says that some businesses may even employ another company to manage their communications that can use your data. "The business you're communicating with has a responsibility to ensure that it handles your messages in accordance with its privacy policy. For more information, please contact that business directly," the company concludes.