WhatsApp, the instant messaging application acquired by Facebook back in 2014, has provoked ire amongst its users after announcing a change in its privacy policy. Once a user accepts WhatsApp's new terms and agreements, its parent company Facebook would be able to gain access to some of the user's data.

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WhatsApp revealed the plan to change its privacy policy on its official blog page. The company explained that the change was necessary to provide users the most reliable experience. The data that would be shared to Facebook includes the user's phone number, address book, and analytics such as when the service was last used along with the mobile operating system.

When Facebook acquired WhatsApp back in 2014, the CEO of the instant messaging application Jan Koum assured users that nothing was going to change. He said that the company would still operate independently from its parent company. However, the recent privacy police changes suggest that this is not the case.

WhatsApp's attempt to change its privacy policy has angered many users. Jeff Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, argues that the change is Facebook's way of obtaining more data about its users.

Claire Gartland, the consumer protection counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that the sharing of information to Facebook exposes the user to a lot of significant risks. "Facebook will have data indicating who [and how frequent] WhatsApp users communicate with," she stated.

To calm its users, Koum announced that WhatsApp offers a 30-day opt-out option so its users can hold off the sharing of information. But Chester argued and said that 30 days was an insufficient period to provide its loyal users, especially if you take into consideration that the company has not been clear as to how the data will be integrated into Facebook's system.

A spokesperson for WhatsApp has declined to comment on why the company is not offering a complete opt-out option. He only said that the additional 30 days should give users time to deliberate on their choices.