January 27, 2021

In the Channel News Asia commentary “WhatsApp’s new T&Cs could spark changes to how data and privacy are managed”, Dr Natalie Pang (NUS Department of Communications and New Media) addresses the concerns netizens have expressed regarding the changes in WhatsApp’s privacy policies. Dr Pang also explains the legal jargon of WhatsApp’s new terms and conditions in the 14 January 2021 CNA Heart of the Matter podcast episode, “Changes in WhatsApp Terms and Conditions: Cutting Through the Confusion”.

As many former users of WhatsApp have left the platform and migrated to the likes of Signal and Telegram, Dr Pang assures readers that WhatsApp still uses end-to-end encryption. Users’ messages continue to remain confidential and are not shared with Facebook. However, Dr Pang agrees that though users’ “concerns are untrue, they are not unfounded”, as the details of WhatsApp’s access to our personal information are rather vague. After many incidents of mass information infractions in the past few years, distrust in data-collecting communication platforms has risen.

Dr Pang believes that users need to be clearly and explicitly notified about changes that these platforms make in order to allow for informed consent to be given. This includes simplifying legal jargon and making terms and conditions accessible to non-English speakers. Furthermore, users should be given the choice to opt in and out of amendments to terms and conditions. Dr Pang proposes charging a small fee for opting out so that users can stay on the platform despite disagreeing to the new terms.

On a positive note, Dr Pang suggests that the scepticism towards Big Tech can hone users’ analytical skills as they become more vigilant about safeguarding their private data. While heightened wariness could lead to growing pessimism towards digital technology, WhatsApp’s move foregrounds the need to reconsider the way matters of data privacy are handled and disseminated by various online platforms.

Read the article here.