In case, you are not up to date with the current situation of WhatsApp Privacy Policy, then here is everything that accused in the past. When WhatsApp last updated its security policies, it received a flood of negative feedback from users. There was a lot of misunderstanding and concern about the recent updates to the privacy policies. When the company first presented the new privacy policies, it stated that users needed to accept the protection policy by February 8th or they would be unable to access the app. The company later postponed this and stated that clients would be given time to understand the policy, with the deadline for acknowledging these advancements set for May 15th. The Policy stated that:
WE COLLECT AND USE PRECISE LOCATION INFORMATION FROM YOUR DEVICE WITH YOUR PERMISSION WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO USE LOCATION-RELATED FEATURES, LIKE WHEN YOU DECIDE TO SHARE YOUR LOCATION WITH YOUR CONTACTS OR VIEW LOCATIONS NEARBY OR LOCATIONS OTHERS HAVE SHARED WITH YOU. THERE ARE CERTAIN SETTINGS RELATING TO LOCATION-RELATED INFORMATION WHICH YOU CAN FIND IN YOUR DEVICE SETTINGS OR THE IN-APP SETTINGS, SUCH AS LOCATION SHARING. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT USE OUR LOCATION-RELATED FEATURES, WE USE IP ADDRESSES AND OTHER INFORMATION LIKE PHONE NUMBER AREA CODES TO ESTIMATE YOUR GENERAL LOCATION (E.G., CITY AND COUNTRY).
Soon, some WhatsApp users will see a banner inviting them to review the privacy policies. Instead of a full-screen warning, consumers were made aware of the changes in a discreet way. Many users started seeking for alternatives for WhatsApp and switched to Telergram and Signal as an alternative for WhatsApp. WhatsApp then wrote in a blog post to users switching to other platforms such as Telegram and Signal:
WE UNDERSTAND SOME PEOPLE MAY CHECK OUT OTHER APPS TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER. WE’VE SEEN SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS TRY TO GET AWAY WITH CLAIMING THEY CAN’T SEE PEOPLE’S MESSAGES – IF AN APP DOESN’T OFFER END-TO-END ENCRYPTION BY DEFAULT THAT MEANS THEY CAN READ YOUR MESSAGES. OTHER APPS SAY THEY’RE BETTER BECAUSE THEY KNOW EVEN LESS INFORMATION THAN WHATSAPP. WE BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR APPS TO BE BOTH RELIABLE AND SAFE, EVEN IF THAT REQUIRES WHATSAPP HAVING SOME LIMITED DATA. WE STRIVE TO BE THOUGHTFUL ON THE DECISIONS WE MAKE AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NEW WAYS OF MEETING THESE RESPONSIBILITIES WITH LESS INFORMATION, NOT MORE.
Following public backlash over updated privacy terms, WhatsApp opted to postpone its scheduled privacy upgrade for three months. WhatsApp announced that the privacy upgrade deadline has been moved back from February 8 to May 15. As a result, people have more time to comprehend and evaluate their policy.
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WhatsApp just published, how they are going to treat the accounts of users who refuse to accept the company’s current terms and policies. If a user does not approve the company’s new terms, the app will simply continue to display an alert telling them to do so. Within a few weeks, the users will see a persistent alert. When users see a persistent alert, the WhatsApp app will enter a restricted mode. Users would be unable to control their chat list when in this mode. If they get a message, they will be able to open it and respond to it through their notifications. Incoming audio and video calls will also be accessible. After few weeks, the user can no longer get any calls or updates.
WhatsApp does not have a precise timeline for any of these cases, instead including a nebulous timeline for each condition that seems to differ depending on users. Also, it’s unclear what the previously stated May 15th deadline means any more, other than users may be able to accept the agreement and continue using their app after this date. WhatsApp has confirmed that it would not delete accounts. However, if you do not approve the terms, the software will be worthless after a few weeks.
