WhatsApp Slightly Less Onerous on Privacy Policy

May 28, 2021

WhatsApp, which Facebook acquired in 2014, issued a new privacy policy that gives its parent company control over user data. This is a problem for those who value their privacy. Originally, users had to accept the policy by May 15 or be booted off the service. After facing backlash, however, the company has decided on a slightly less heavy-handed approach, at least in India. The Android Police reports, “WhatsApp Will Progressively Kill Features Until Users Accept New Privacy Policy.” Writer Prahsam Parikh reveals:

“The Press Trust of India reported that the Facebook-owned messaging service won’t delete accounts of those individuals who do not accept the new privacy policy on May 15. However, the same source also confirms that users will be sent reminders about accepting over the next ‘several weeks.’ And in a statement given to Android Central, WhatsApp has confirmed that while it won’t terminate accounts immediately, users who don’t accept the new terms will have only ‘limited account functionality’ available to them until they do. In the short term, that means losing access to your chat list, but you will still be able to see and respond to notifications as well as answer voice and video calls. However, after a few weeks of that, WhatsApp will then switch off all incoming notifications and calls for your account, effectively rendering it useless. The decision not to fully enforce the deadline seems to be in reaction to the stern stance that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) in India took against the company. Earlier this year, the ministry filed a counter-affidavit in the high court to prevent WhatsApp from going ahead with the privacy policy update.”

Wow, Facebook really wants that data. We think Facebook will have to relax its “new” rules in order to prevent Signal, Telegram, and Threema from capturing disaffected WhatsApp users.

Cynthia Murrell, May 28, 2021

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Facebook, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.