WhatsApp’s New Privacy Policy Just Kicked In. Here’s What You Need to Know

All communications on WhatsApp will still be end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning that your messages and photos will still only be viewable by you and the users you're chatting with. And WhatsApp still won't be able to access any of your communications or share them with Facebook.

AT THE BEGINNING of the year, whatsapp took the seemingly mundane step of updating its terms of use and privacy policy, mostly focused on the app's business offerings. The changes sparked a major backlash, though, because they inadvertently highlighted WhatsApp's years-old policy of sharing certain user data, like phone numbers, with parent company Facebook. Rather than change the policy that sparked the controversy, WhatsApp instead moved the deadline for users to accept it from the original date of February 8 to Saturday. If you don't? WhatsApp will become unusable.