WhatsApp’s new privacy policy ‘very confusing’: Signal’s Brian Acton

Brian Acton told Anumeha Chaturvedi in an interview that he finds WhatsApp’s new privacy policy “very confusing” and “hard to follow.” Acton cofounded WhatsApp with Jan Koum and sold it to Facebook for $19 billion in 2014. He left the company over concerns about commercial messaging and monetisation. Currently executive chairman of the Signal Foundation, Acton spoke about India being ahead of the curve in adopting the best technology, Signal’s record growth in the past two weeks and concerns over data and privacy with regard to WhatsApp and Facebook. Excerpts:

India is WhatsApp’s biggest market and its privacy policy update has sparked concerns over user data sharing and privacy here. What is your take on the updated privacy policy and terms of service?