Controversial WhatsApp privacy changes nerfed
- Previously, changes to the WhatsApp privacy policy caused controversy. However, the company stuck to a rollout on May 15, 2021.
- Now the company appears to have dropped plans for rollout on that date – maybe entirely.
- However, those who have already accepted the new conditions are still bound by them.
A few months ago, WhatsApp announced some major changes to its privacy policy. While nothing about the changes was too fancy, they allowed for better integration with the company’s parent company, Facebook. They also give companies better ways to keep in touch with customers through the platform. These two aspects of the new policy made privacy advocates upset, which somehow led to a mass exodus from the platform.
During the height of the backlash, the company held firm to its intentions to change WhatsApp’s privacy policy. It eventually gave in, however, and postponed the rollout date to May 15, 2021. On that date, anyone who did not agree to the new terms would receive an account lockout and eventual deletion.
See also: WhatsApp vs Telegram vs Signal: Which Messaging App Should You Use?
Now, however, it appears the company is dropping May 15 plans. According to a tweet from The Press Trust of India (above XDA developer), WhatsApp will no longer adhere to the May 15 cutoff and will not block / delete users who reject the new terms. It also doesn’t seem like the company has a new deadline, which settles the entire controversy for now.
WhatsApp Privacy Policy: What Now?
The company had this to say in a statement:
Although the majority of users who have received the new Terms of Service have accepted them, we estimate that some people have not had the opportunity to do so. Due to this update, no accounts will be deleted on May 15th, and no one will lose functionality of WhatsApp. We will pass memories on to people over the next few weeks.
It is clear from this statement that if users do not wish to accept the terms, they can continue to use WhatsApp indefinitely. The app constantly reminds users to accept the new terms. However, if you decline this warning, no penalties will be imposed. Obviously, these warnings are likely to get annoying, and a percentage of these people will likely accept them at some point.
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However, those users who have already accepted the new terms are still bound by them. All that is changing today is that there are no longer any fears that non-acceptance of the WhatsApp privacy policy changes would result in account deletion.
We’ll have to wait and see if the company will eventually reschedule once the controversy has completely subsided. By then, however, it might be too late as thousands of people have already migrated to competing platforms like Telegram and Signal.
