Back in January, WhatsApp made changes to their privacy policy that stirred up huge backlash. It got so bad, competitors; Telegram and Signal recorded a surge in downloads and they were forced to move the changes to May 15.
You may be wondering though, come May, what happens if a user doesn’t agree to the new terms and conditions. In an email sent to one of its merchant partners, WhatsApp said it will “slowly ask” its users to comply with the new terms “in order to have full functionality of WhatsApp.”
If they still don’t accept the terms, for a short time, these users will still be able to receive calls and notifications, but will not be able to read or send messages from the app.
The ‘short time’ will span maybe a few weeks. WhatsApp policy for inactive users states that accounts are generally deleted after 120 days of inactivity.
Contrary to popular belief, WhatsApp has been sharing metadata with Facebook for years. The only new thing WhatsApp will send back to the parent company, after the update, are payment and transaction data to help Facebook better target ads to you across its various services.
It is worth noting, payment and transaction data through WhatsApp isn’t a common thing. So, before you jump the ship just yet, take a moment to understand how the new policies affect you and your privacy as a user.
Next; Realme is targeting a 30% sales increase in Kenya in 2021
Alfred Gitonga is a passionate tech news writer with a deep interest in smartphones and related technologies. He is a staff writer at Mobitrends.co.ke.
