Hello All, How are you doing?
I hope the new year is coming your way better than earlier years.
Today I will say goodbye to all groups on WhatsApp for two reasons.
1. It's too tricky to stop people from what they can send. I think we all deserve to enjoy the freedom of speech, but we should also have the freedom to read, listen and receive whatever information we like. I just wish to protect my space, respecting freedom of speech and expression for others.
2. Second important point is privacy. I respect the privacy of all, not only in my personal life but also in my business. At Shimbi Labs, we never collect any data without our website visitors' or customers' knowledge. If we collect something, we inform them why we collect some data and how we use their data, and we do everything to protect it. Our Customers are not a product for us. We'll never sell your personal information to third parties, and we won't use your name or company in marketing statements without your permission either. Even we do not track people visiting our website.
Recent WhatsApp privacy policy is not only a threat to personal privacy but business too. WhatsApp may have delays New Privacy Policy, but it's still sharing a lot of data with Facebook.
The fact is that WhatsApp already shares much information with Facebook. When it said that the update doesn't expand the ability to share data with Facebook, that's because it has been able to share your data for years now.
Since 2016, WhatsApp has been sharing a lot of other data with Facebook, which will continue. If you look at the "Affiliated companies" section of the privacy policy. In that case, it explains that Facebook can use the data it gathers about you to profile accurately and use that to serve ads or show friend suggestions, for example.
Then why am I quitting now?
When you force people to accept it (without opt out option), it's a direct attack on privacy. Second, WhatsApp is playing a discriminatory. Depending on the country's laws and ability to protect its privacy, WhatsApp imposes its privacy policies. India has a weak and nonexistent privacy laws.
WhatsApp is a private company, and it is a free product by a commercial company, so depending on the moral of companies, they can treat you well or bad. Apple decided to work on Privacy protection; Google and Facebook decided to work with advertisers.
What is an alternative?
Sure many good things also exist in this world. The signal is such an alternative to WhatsApp. Secure, free, and 100% privacy compliance. Most importantly, open-source, peer-reviewed, and funded entirely by grants and donations.
So I may opt for it in the future.
Is it necessary to be on the instant messaging app.?
But I wonder if I must remain available on-demand to all. Is it so essential for me or for others to get an immediate response from me? Once I get those answers, I may consider returning to the instant messaging app.
But for now, getting off WhatsApp will take some time because I can not deny it was convenient to stay in touch with family, friends, and some interesting, like-minded people. However, it was far more noise when I get unsolicited messages and forwards.
To start with, it will be all WhatsApp groups.
So After goodbye to Facebook, it's now time to say goodbye to WhatsApp.
