WhatsApp new terms of service are only for business chats

WhatsApp has been notifying users about its new terms of service that will take effect on February 8. The recent policy change comes with accepting the updated terms, or the WhatsApp account will stop working. This has naturally alarmed WhatsApp users, especially considering Facebook's lousy reputation with user data. WhatsApp has now clarified what the new terms mean for users and their data.

The new WhatsApp terms explain that the messaging application will share data with Facebook. The data includes personal details such as phone number, profile name, and address book information. In a statement to The Verge, WhatsApp said that the new data policies are for users' messaging companies. WhatsApp added that this does not change the way the company currently handles user data.

The furore over WhatsApp's new policy changes even led Elon Musk to tweet about it and tell people to use Signal instead. Soon Signal announced that it faces a verification code shortage with many people trying to sign up for the privacy-focused messaging app.

WhatsApp continues to be the most popular instant messaging application worldwide, with more than 1.4 billion users. This incident has undoubtedly caused quite a stir, but we will have to see what impact it may have on the WhatsApp user base.