So, Instagram and Whatsapp are soon going to be renamed. Not a lot, but you will now see ‘From Facebook’ added at the end of their names. The idea is to establish that Facebook owns these platforms (if everyone didn’t know that already).
Facebook essentially wants to be clear about the products and services that are part of Facebook. Many reporters have claimed that the decision was met with surprise and confusion internally. Recently, Facebook also announced that employees of Instagram and Whatsapp would start using Facebook’s mail domain which is @fb.com, instead of the previous one’s they had been using.
The change won’t affect any of the apps’ functions; it’s only a cosmetic change. When you go to the App Store or Play Store, you will notice these changes. When the apps are launched, that’s another place you will see “From Facebook” sprawled across the screen.
The bigger questions is that with all the controversies surrounding Facebook’s privacy policies, could this move backfire? Will people suddenly seeing Facebook’s name across the two most popular and widely used apps be a little more careful and wary of the privacy settings and security of these apps.
