Whatsapp After revising its privacy policy and usage terms in January, Whatsapp gave the users time until February 8 to accept the new policy and terms but the deadline was recently extended to May 15. In the meantime, the instant messaging platform is making amendments in the way it shares its users’ data. However, whether or not it would be ‘safe’ to accept the terms is what has been putting the users into confusion and dilemma.
Soon after the revision of its terms and privacy policy, Whatsapp drew lots of criticisms for its data sharing terms with its parent company Facebook, even though it has said that it will maintain the privacy of its users. In its bid to educate the users about its new privacy policy, the Facebook-owned company has been taking measures such as the introduction of in-app pop-up notifications and the ‘stories’ feature.
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Furthermore, to give a clarity on what will happen if users do not accept the amended usage terms and policies by May 15, here’s what Whatsapp has mentioned in its FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section:
- Though users’ account will not be deleted, they will have access to limited functions – they will no longer be able to read or send messages from the app
- They will still be able to receive calls and notifications, but only “for a short time”
- Privacy of personal messages will remain intact however, interactions with businesses may not be safeguarded as much
- Parts of data of the users interacting with businesses through Whatsapp will be stored on Facebook’s servers and used mainly for targeting ads
Information shared with Facebook including users’ account registration information (such as phone number), transaction data (incase one uses Facebook Pay or shops on Whatsapp), service-related information, mobile device information and IP address.
