WhatsApp to switch off messages for all who reject new terms
WhatsApp users who do not accept its updated terms and conditions by the 15 May deadline will be unable to receive or send messages until they do so.
Their account will be listed as "inactive". And
inactive accounts can be deleted after 120 days.
Calls and notifications will still function for "a
short while" but, TechCrunch reported, probably only a "few
weeks".
WhatsApp announced the update in January.
There was a backlash among many users who thought it meant
the company was planning to change the amount of data it shared with its parent
company, Facebook.
It later clarified this was not the case - the update is
actually aimed at enabling payments to be made to businesses.
Notifying users
WhatsApp already shares some information with Facebook, such
as the user's IP address (a sequence of numbers attached to every device which
connects to the internet, it can also be used to pin down its location) and
purchases made via the platform.
But this is not the case in Europe and the UK, where
different privacy laws exist.
Following the initial announcement, platforms such as
Telegram and Signal saw a huge surge in demand as WhatsApp users sought
alternative encrypted-messaging services.
WhatsApp delayed the initial rollout and has now changed the
way it is notifying users of the changes.
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