Millions of users downloaded alternative apps like Signal and Telegram after WhatsApp announced that the new terms would go into effect on February 8. Viral messages spread throughout the chat app itself, with some falsely claiming that the new deal would give WhatsApp the right to read users` messages and share the information with Facebook. The new agreement states: “As a member of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from this family of companies and shares information with them. Users will have to sign the agreement to continue using WhatsApp, but Facebook says it won`t delete their accounts if they don`t. WhatsApp was forced to delay the update and launch an advertising campaign explaining that the new deal simply focused on a new set of features that allow users to send messages to businesses in the app. “There is no change in our sharing of data with Facebook anywhere in the world,” Niamh Sweeney, WhatsApp`s director of public policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told the Home Affairs Committee earlier this year. Eventually, they will stop using the app altogether. Users in the UK and Europe see a different privacy policy than the rest of the world due to the GDPR. This privacy policy imposes much stricter restrictions on what information can be shared between companies, which means that there is actually no change in how data is shared in the updated policy. After all, it feels like there`s actually an advantage to balancing all those GDPR pop-ups. The changes to WhatsApp`s privacy policy for 2021 were originally outlined in October in this Facebook blog post.
The company plans to introduce a payment system in WhatsApp so that users can make purchases from businesses. It`s likely that Facebook will want to replicate the success of payments in WeChat, the popular Chinese messaging app. The messaging app will start disabling features until users agree to Facebook`s updated terms of service, according to WhatsApp, the move is part of the company that rolls out new in-app payment features so people can make purchases from the companies they use. Contrary to popular belief, all WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted and are not accessible by Facebook. So, if you plan to use WhatsApp only to talk to your friends and family, nothing will really change – whether you live in the “European area” (where data is protected by GDPR laws) or elsewhere. The other option would be to sever those ties with Facebook, but after years of sharing some account data, both organizations likely consider the removal of the 2016 change unimaginable or intolerable. Or both. That`s the vague part, as WhatsApp`s updated website even puts it: “Changes to our privacy policy give you more details about how we handle your information,” but require you to find those changes on your own. Fortunately, it makes it clear that “your acceptance of the new terms of service does not expand WhatsApp`s ability to share user data with its parent company Facebook.” In a word, yes. There is a deadline of 15.
May, which you can accept at any time thereafter. Your account won`t be deleted if you don`t agree to the new terms, but WhatsApp says you won`t have all of WhatsApp`s features until you agree. Facebook gets “certain limited data” from WhatsApp – your phone number that you add when you log in and details about your mobile device, for example. Many applications have access to this information. Of course, your decision is to trust what Facebook and WhatsApp are saying about the changes. It`s not practical to have to switch to a new app, but you also need to convince everyone else you`re discussing to do the same, which is why the excitement probably won`t make a significant portion of WhatsApp users drop out of the service. WhatsApp will not delete accounts of users who have not signed up for the new terms, but inactive accounts after 120 days in accordance with existing policies. The main changes to the privacy policy relate to how data is shared when you use WhatsApp to talk to a business. “In the coming weeks, we will display a banner on WhatsApp that will contain more information that people can read at their own pace.
We have also added more information to try to address the concerns we hear. At this point, the screen asking users to agree to the terms of service set by Facebook, WhatsApp`s parent company, becomes permanent and users have to click to use WhatsApp directly. However, users can still interact with the app in other ways for a few weeks, e.B. Answer calls, answer messages, or answer missed calls. The whole process elicited a negative reaction from many WhatsApp users (including Elon Musk), and as a result, competing services like Telegram and Signal skyrocketed their usage numbers. Simply put, when you use WhatsApp to talk to a business, the information you share with your name and phone number (both of which you need to disclose to use WhatsApp in the first place) may be shared with third parties. The conversations themselves are still encrypted and WhatsApp has also said that these changes will not affect users in the UK (or the EU) due to different privacy regulations. WhatsApp told Sky News that the update only describes business communications and does not change any of WhatsApp`s current data exchange practices with Facebook. WhatsApp had to slow down the introduction of the updated terms and said there would be more time. Note that he did not say that this problem would go away. Since a pop-up warning on WhatsApp notifies users, the app updates its privacy policy and requires new users to agree to the updated terms and conditions – but what does that actually mean? That sounds reassuring, but it doesn`t say anything about the data Facebook has access to, or clearly explains the changes it makes to the privacy policy that applies to business messages. So let`s assume that the information provided to a company is not encrypted and can be shared with other companies (but should not be in Europe due to the GDPR).
Facebook warns 50,000 users targeted by cyber mercenaries as it bans seven peer-to-peer surveillance groups from losing access to their chat list before WhatsApp completely stops messages on phones “We understand that some people can try other apps to see what they have to offer,” the company says. “We`ve seen some of our competitors try to get away with pretending they can`t see people`s messages – if an app doesn`t offer end-to-end encryption by default, it means they can read your messages.” It`s clear that Telegram is in the spotlight here, as it doesn`t offer standard end-to-end encryption, although there`s an option for that. Signal is more secure and uses encryption, but behind all these features lies a big change in WhatsApp`s relationship with Facebook. Shopping features, for example, would overlap with a similar service for Facebook. Instead of forcing businesses to keep an eye on the stock of two completely separate online stores, WhatsApp simply allows them to run the same online store on both platforms. Looking at the details of the policy change, it should only apply to messages that WhatsApp users exchange with businesses. Even if users think it`s safe or doesn`t apply to them, they can watch Facebook`s inevitable next steps. Switch from this opt-in to opt-out and extend the B2C policy to all messages. There`s also the fact that Facebook can significantly compromise privacy without having to read the content of WhatsApp messages by mapping and monetizing a person`s social graphic. You`ll have to agree to the new terms and conditions if you want to continue using WhatsApp, but once you understand what`s really changing, you`ll find that it`s not a problem to keep using the messaging service. WhatsApp will be its messaging app for users who want to see the terms and conditions updated before the 15th century. May not accept, end slowly.
WhatsApp states: “The update includes new options that people must notify a company on WhatsApp and offers more transparency about how we collect and use data. WhatsApp points out that these new features are “completely optional”. The controversy began in January when the messaging app announced it would share some information with its parent company, Facebook. WhatsApp said it wouldn`t be able to see the content of messages or calls, and neither would Facebook, saying the data would be used for commerce features and ads that opened WhatsApp chats. However, this triggered a negative reaction from users, so many had to switch to other apps like Signal. This is simply not true, and your account will not be deleted or suspended if you refuse to accept the new terms. After a few weeks of limited features, you will no longer be able to receive incoming calls or notifications, and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls to your phone,” the company said. At this point, users have to choose: either they accept the new terms, or they are effectively prevented from using WhatsApp. Unusually, the company decided not to make May 15 a difficult deadline to accept the terms. It says that once you see the “persistent reminder” (see below), you`ll be able to answer incoming phone and video calls, and if you`ve enabled notifications, you can tap on it to read or reply to a message or recall a missed phone or video call. Earlier this year, WhatsApp took the seemingly mundane step of updating its terms of service and privacy policies, which mainly focused on the app`s commercial offerings.
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