2024-04-11 03:32:20
Starting this Thursday, April 11, WhatsApp will implement updates to its Terms of Service and Privacy policies for users in the European Region. This is due to the introduction of two new European Union laws: the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
These regulations, proposed by the European Commission in December 2020 and effective from May 2023 after coming into force in November 2022, they seek to modernize the legal framework for digital services. Thus, to continue using WhatsApp, users must accept the new conditions starting this Thursday.
Importantly, WhatsApp has assured that the end-to-end encryption of its messages will remain unchanged. This means that the platform does not have access to the content shared by users, including messages, photos, videos and audios, which are encrypted during shipment and can only be decrypted by the recipient’s device.
What term must be accepted?
WhatsApp will introduce a historic change to its terms of use, allowing its users to communicate with people in other platforms messaging services such as Telegram or Signal without the need for them to have a WhatsApp account.
This measure, promoted from Brussels, aims to dismantle the oligopoly in the technology sector and ensure that large companies such as Alphabet, ByteDance (owner of TikTok), Microsoft or Apple, act fairly in the digital environment.
Technology companies that do not comply with these new guidelines could face fines of up to 10% of their annual global revenue. One of the most notable aspects of this new law is the introduction of the interoperability, allowing third parties to integrate with established platforms while preserving the privacy, security and integrity of users, as explained by Dick Brouwer, director of engineering at WhatsApp, to the newspaper Wired.
This interoperability will be optional, giving users the freedom to decide whether or not they want to use it. If yes, they will be able to see messages from other applications integrated at the top of their interface.
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