The day has come. WhatsApp changes the privacy rules from Saturday 15 May. Each user is required to accept the new conditions and if he does not do so the functions of the app will be progressively limited, until after a few weeks it will no longer be possible to use it. No accounts will then be suspended or deleted immediately. The intervention will be gradual, as explained by the group by replying to a series of Faqs on its website.
What happens on May 15th?
No accounts will be deleted and no features will be lost as a result of this update. The notification inviting you to approve the new conditions will continue to appear. “After giving everyone the time they need to check the information presented, we continue to remind those who have not yet done so, to check and accept it. After a period of a few weeks, the reminder will become persistent,” it reads.
From that moment on, you will have limited access to WhatsApp features until updates are accepted. This will not happen to all users at the same time. You will not be able to access the chat list, however you will be able to answer incoming calls and video calls. In case of active notifications, the user can touch them to read or reply to messages, or call back in case of missed call or video call.
After a few weeks with limited functionality, you will no longer be able to receive incoming calls or notifications. And you won’t be able to answer messages and calls either.
Account deleted?
WhatsApp will not delete the account if you don’t accept the update. But separately, the inactive user policy will apply: after 120 days without logging in, the account will be deleted. Deleting your account is not reversible, as it involves deleting your message history, deleting your WhatsApp backups, and removing your account from all of your WhatsApp groups.
What changes and what doesn’t
The update of the information does not affect the privacy of personal messages in any way. Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can read personal messages or listen to calls because they are protected by end-to-end encryption. The changes affect the business messaging features, which are entirely optional, and offer greater transparency on how we collect and use data.
The company clarifies that “WhatsApp is built on a simple concept: Everything you share with family and friends stays with you. This means that we will continue to protect personal conversations with end-to-end encryption. Thanks to this security measure, neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see private messages. This is why we don’t keep track of who is being called or to whom messages are sent. WhatsApp cannot even see the shared location and does not share contacts with Facebook. “
The latest updates, notes WhatsApp, “concern the optional business messaging functions, are part of the broader WhatsApp project aimed at making interaction between individuals and companies more effective, safe and simple”. Users need to know that “Messaging with businesses is different from messaging between individuals. Some large companies need hosting services to manage communication.” Companies “can see conversations and may use this information for marketing purposes, which may also include Facebook ads.” For this they will be indicated “always clearly within WhatsApp if you are communicating with an activity that uses these functions”.