WhatsApp is launching a campaign to promote the full encryption of its chat service following a strong backlash against new usage policies. The company, owned by Facebook, is launching the campaign today, Monday, in Germany and Britain, two of its key markets. The short promotional videos highlight that the content sent via WhatsApp can only be read by the relevant users, thanks to end-to-end encryption (sender and recipient).
WhatsApp faced criticism and user exodus in recent months after announcing new usage rules. The update introduced in mid-May was widely interpreted as meaning more data would be shared with Facebook, WhatsApp’s parent company. WhatsApp rejected this interpretation, calling it a misunderstanding, and repeatedly affirmed that there would be no reduction in the level of end-to-end encryption, which also prevents the service provider from accessing messages and content.
WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart acknowledged mistakes in the way the new rules were communicated, stating that the company initially failed to clearly convey what it was doing and why. He mentioned that the company had already planned an advertising campaign for end-to-end encryption, but there was an additional reason to discuss the feature after the reactions in the past few months. Cathcart added that the vast majority of users who were asked to accept the new rules have already done so, although he did not provide specific numbers.
Initially, users who did not agree were supposed to lose access to basic functions over time, but they will no longer face any consequences. New features related to communication with businesses will only be available after agreeing to the update. These new capabilities were the main reason for changing the terms of use, according to WhatsApp.
