WhatsApp forces users to accept new terms of service or deactivate account

Whats app will force users to agree to its new privacy policy within the next month, or else lose access to the app.

Agreeing to the terms will mean that a user’s private data, including their phone number, will be shared with Facebook, which now owns WhatsApp.

WhatsApp updating its terms of service and privacy policy is not new. Most software services do update their services occasionally. It is standard practice that in order to continue using these services, the user accepts the new conditions and policy. This time, WhatsApp is giving a deadline of February 8, 2021 to accept the new policy or delete your account.

The update comes in the form of an in-app notification, which users can choose to ignore until the date arrives. 

WhatsApp says it is collecting new information around from your device such as “battery level, signal strength, app version, browser information, mobile network, connection information (including phone number, mobile operator or ISP), language and time zone, IP address, device operations information, and identifiers (including identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account).” These were not mentioned in the previous policy.

Some WhatsApp users criticised the new privacy policy on social media, with many saying they planned to move to a rival messaging app like Telegram.

With around 2.5 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is by far the most popular messaging app in the world.

However, since it was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion, it has faced criticism for the way it handles users’ data.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum stepped down as the firm’s chief executive in 2018 due to a reported irreconcilable clash over Facebook’s decision to monetise personal data in the app.

An older version of WhatsApp’s privacy policy stated: “Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA. Since we started WhatsApp, we’ve aspired to build our Services with a set of strong privacy principles in mind.” 

This line is no longer present in the latest version.

The new policy also means that simply deleting the app from a device will not prevent WhatsApp from retaining a user’s private data. To ensure WhatsApp no longer continues to do this, users must instead use the in-app feature for deleting their account. 

The policy notes that even after using this delete feature, some data will remain with the company, stating, “when you delete your account, it does not affect your information related to the groups you created or the information other users have relating to you, such as their copy of the messages you sent them.”