After causing a massive virtual meltdown with the announcement of its new privacy policy, and then delaying the implementation of said policy due to online anger, WhatsApp has been trying for the past few weeks not to cause any problems. However, it has just revealed what will happen to users who do not accept the new privacy policy by the May 15 deadline.
WhatsApp has apparently emailed some of its trading partners to inform them that it will “ slowly ask ” users to accept the new privacy policy “ in order to have the full functionality of the app, ” said TechCrunch, who saw an email and confirmed its truth with WhatsApp. The email also pointed to one public WhatsApp FAQ page entitled “What happens on the effective date?”
The FAQ page states that WhatsApp will not delete the accounts of users who do not accept the new terms, but they will not be able to use them as they normally do.
“If you have not yet accepted, WhatsApp will not delete your account. However, you will not have the full functionality of WhatsApp until you agree. For a short time, you can receive calls and notifications, but you cannot read or send messages from the app, ”wrote WhatsApp.
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If the “for a little while” part did you scratch your head, whatsapp worked it out, sort of. Users who do not accept the new privacy policy by May 15th is considered inactive users and is subject to WhatsApp’s existing policy on that front, As described below.
“In order to maintain security, limit data retention, and protect the privacy of our users, WhatsApp accounts are generally deleted after 120 days of inactivity,” WhatsApp said. “Content that was stored locally on a user’s device before the account was deleted will remain until WhatsApp is removed from the device. When a user re-registers for WhatsApp on the same device, their locally stored content will reappear. “
Now, after reading this, it still wasn’t real clarify whether WhatsApp would delete accounts of people who have not accepted the privacy policy after 120 days. Gizmodo reached out to WhatsApp to request clarification. We will make sure to update this blog if we hear back.
Besides holding the head, WhatsApp has been too try to reassure you users that it has no nefarious plans to share their personal data with the parent company Facebook. (It should be noted that tThe company has been sharing basic metadata with Facebook since 2016, such as anonymous identifiers for making phones). Just so it’s clear the app’s new privacy policy does not affect users who are currently just using the app to send messages to friends and family. The changes only apply to companies that use WhatsApp to communicate with their customers.
On ThursdayWhatsApp announced that it would display a banner in the app with more information about its privacy policy “that people can read at their own pace.”
“Ultimately, we will remind people to view and accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp,” WhatsApp said.
Interestingly, WhatsApp stated in the announcement that it was important for people to know “how to offer WhatsApp for free.” The company said it charges companies for providing “customer service” on the app, and it involves Facebook so that companies can manage their inventory across different apps.
Although some users may be outraged by WhatsApp’s bornw privacy policy – which, let’s not forget, doesn’t affect individual users for now – this business update is an important reminder that few things in technology are ever truly free. If a service or app claims to be free, don’t forget that you probably are pay with your credentials