After a wave of controversy with its first attempt, WhatsApp is gradually rolling out its new Privacy Policy update once again, which will see the app share more data with Facebook – though only in relation to business-specific actions within the messaging platform.
WhatsApp originally opted to delay the change after strong user resistance, but now, WhatsApp users are being alerted to the coming change once again with these new in-app alerts.
It would be recalled that WhatsApp recently introduced new privacy policies for its users, which includes new terms ensuring that the app will share data with Facebook as a condition of use. Although this was postponed at first, WhatsApp will now disable some app functionalities until users accept the new privacy terms.
Following the controversies that WhatsApp’s new privacy policies have caused, Facebook has decided to postpone changes regarding data sharing between the two social networks.
Last week, WhatsApp even mentioned that it would not delete or deactivate the account of those who do not accept the new terms. While this still remains true, the company has now stated it will somewhat punish users who do not accept the new privacy policies.
As noted by Gizmodo, WhatsApp this week updated a support article on its website with more details about the upcoming privacy changes. While the company reaffirms that users will not have their accounts deleted, WhatsApp now says that users who refuse the new terms will have “limited functionality” on their accounts.
Starting May 15, users will eventually lose access to some WhatsApp features until they accept the new terms. For instance, these users will first lose the ability to access the chat list. Then, audio and video calls will stop working and the user will no longer receive any notifications of new messages on WhatsApp.
Basically, despite WhatsApp saying that you won’t lose your account if you don’t agree with how the company is going to share your data, it is making the app nearly unusable for these people to force them to accept its new privacy policy.
Since WhatsApp announced these changes, some users have been looking for alternatives to the messaging app. This includes Signal and Telegram, which both offer end-to-end encryption — and not to mention Apple’s iMessage.
