WhatsApp will not deactivate accounts for not accepting new privacy terms

WhatsApp will not deactivate the accounts of users who don’t accept the new privacy policy update that requires sharing data with other companies owned by Facebook.

WhatsApp on Friday announced that it will not deactivate accounts of users who don’t accept its new privacy policy that will be rolled out on May 15.

The company will only continue to remind its users to accept the new privacy policy.

“No one will have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of WhatsApp on May 15 because of this update,” reads the FAQ page set up by WhatsApp. “For the last several weeks we’ve displayed a notification in WhatsApp providing more information about the update. After giving everyone time to review, we’re continuing to remind those who haven’t had the chance to do so to review and accept. After a period of several weeks, the reminder people receive will eventually become persistent.”

The company will limit the functionality of the instant messaging app until its users accept the updates, WhatsApp revealed that this will not happen to all users at the same time.

In January, WhatsApp started notifying users that starting February 8, 2021, they will be obliged to share their data with Facebook, leaving them no choice. The use raised a heated debate on the way Facebook takes care of the privacy of its users. The news raised a heated debate on the way Facebook takes care of the privacy of its users, millions of users have chosen to leave the app and migrate to the privacy-friendly app Signal.

Once the new policy will be effective, users will not be able to access their chat list, but they will still be able to answer incoming phone and video calls. After a few weeks of limited functionality, users won’t be able to receive incoming calls or notifications and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls to their mobile device.

“You won’t be able to access your chat list, but you can still answer incoming phone and video calls. If you have notifications enabled, you can tap on them to read or respond to a message or call back a missed phone or video call.” continues WhatsApp. “After a few weeks of limited functionality, you won’t be able to receive incoming calls or notifications and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls to your phone.”

WhatsApp pointed out that the update does not expand on its ability to share user data (i.e. chats) with Facebook companies.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, privacy)