WhatsApp: Facebook hosting services to cut costs | India Business News – Times of India

BENGALURU: Under fire over its privacy changes, WhatsApp is now reaching out with reassuring messages to businesses that use its application programming interface (API) to chat with users. The company said leveraging its parent firm Facebook’s hosting services will be much cheaper and will increase efficiency while managing users on the platform.
Currently, WhatsApp API services are provided through third-party partners called business solution partners (BSPs). “..businesses and BSPs will soon have the option to use a cloud-based version of the WhatsApp Business API, hosted by Facebook. Leveraging Facebook-hosted services will help reduce the time to implement the API from weeks or months to minutes and remove the need for costly API set-up and maintenance,” the note, reviewed by TOI, said.

TOI had first reported in its Monday edition that businesses using WhatsApp API had flagged concerns about sending documents with private information to users in light of the privacy updates.
“It is important to note that Facebook will not automatically use these messages to inform the ads that a person sees. Rather, Facebook will act as a service provider to businesses and only use data under the instructions of businesses and on their behalf. However, as is always the case, businesses will be able to use chats they receive for their own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook or other channels, like email or TV,” WhatsApp’s note added.
WhatsApp’s privacy changes were primarily announced to address interactions of business accounts with individual users. Initially planned to be implemented from February 8, WhatsApp has now delayed its privacy updates by three months following user backlash.