South Africa’s information regulator is seeking legal advice on how to swim through the murky waters of WhatsApp’s new privacy policy.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook and the world’s biggest instant messaging application, released new privacy policy telling subscribers they’ll have to consent with it or stop using the app, starting from Saturday.
The South African regulator wants WhatsApp to apply its European standards in Africa after the new policy which will collect users’ personal data was rejected by the EU.
WhatsApp’s new policy has attracted a global criticism of both the proposed action and the intention backing it.
South Africa asked WhatsApp to modify the policy in their country in line with what’s obtainable in the EU whom they share similar practices with. It said the country’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) has privacy standards which is very similar to the EU’s.
WhatsApp so far is yet to reply the South African government’s wishes, but generally reiterated in March that the new privacy policy doesn’t grant it the right to share information with Facebook, its parent company.
It also said the privacy of information between friends and family stays sacrosanct, regardless of the policy in place.