Facebook announced that it will gradually restrict features to WhatsApp users who have not accepted the new privacy rules. The company, however, changed its mind and withdrew from previous “threats”.
WhatsApp users can breathe a sigh of relief. Facebook will not force them to accept the Privacy Policy update in effect since May 15. Initially, the company announced that it would limit the functionality available in the app to anyone who does not agree to the new terms. In the end, a different decision was made. In a statement sent to TheNextWeb, Facebook indicated:
Given recent discussions with several government officials and privacy experts, we want to make it clear that we are not currently planning to limit WhatsApp jobs to those who have not yet accepted the new rules. Instead, we’ll remind users of it from time to time – including when some optional features are used.
The company’s decision is likely to be related to a desire to retain existing users and criticism of “forcing” to accept updated regulations. Several people saw this as a coercive consent to share more data with Facebook. The new privacy policy was also not favored by many governments, including the authorities of Germany and India.
Accepting the updated terms will not be necessary, but WhatsApp will remind you from time to time. However, Facebook notes that the alerts that appear will not be of a permanent nature and should not be a major nuisance to app users. It also confirms that “updating the rules does not affect privacy when it comes to personal messaging.”
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