WhatsApp, will everything change? What happens (actually) on May 15th

For WhatsApp users there is a red circled date in the calendar. The Terms of Use and WhatsApp’s Privacy Policy will be “definitively” updated on May 15: if we do not immediately accept the new terms, the functionality of the application will be phased out, and after a few weeks it will no longer be usable.

What’s going on on WhatsApp on May 15th

If no user agrees to WhatsApp’s “controversial” new Terms of Service next Saturday, the app will actually start disabling features. In practice, the “pop-up” screen that asks users to accept the terms of service established by WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, will become permanent, and users will need to click to use WhatsApp directly. But unlike what has been said until recently, there is nothing serious and immediate. Users can still interact with the app in a variety of ways, such as receiving calls, answering messages or answering missed calls for “a few weeks” (not sure how many).

“After a limited process of a few weeks, you will not receive incoming calls or notifications, and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls on your phone,” the company explained. At that point, users have to choose: accept the new terms, or stop using WhatsApp and turn to one of several alternatives. This gentle approach is unusual for Facebook, which has historically enforced new terms of service by placing the inevitable approval screen in a day. Already in January the company tried for the first time Update its Terms of Service.

The technology company this time goes with the front legs. The reason? Millions of users have downloaded alternative applications such as Signal and Telegram since WhatsApp announced that the new rules would take effect on February 8. Virus messages quickly spread like alarmist chains, with the new agreement giving WhatsApp the right to read users’ messages and share information on Facebook. So, WhatsApp was forced to delay the update and launch an advertising campaign, the new deal simply focused on a new feature that allowed users to send messages to companies in use. “There are no changes in our data sharing with Facebook anywhere in the world,” said Niam Sweeney, WhatsApp’s director of public affairs for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In Germany, the Hamburg Privacy Commission has issued a three-month emergency ban on new regulations, arguing that they are opaque, inconsistent and overly broad. Facebook said the ban was based on a fundamental misunderstanding about the update.

WhatsApp, real news from Saturday 15th May

Now the countdown is a fact and within 72 hours it is necessary to decide whether to use WhatsApp, accept new policies, or move to new sites such as Signal, Telegram, Wicker, 3D, Wire and Confite.

Aside from controversies and doubts about privacy, it should be emphasized that this is the business version of WhatsApp that companies mainly use to communicate with their customers to see some important changes from May 15th. Despite the various limitations, companies can use the data in conversations for marketing purposes, which can also affect advertising on Facebook and other social networks.

On the other hand, according to what has been released so far, there are no big news for the privacy of users who use the standard version of the app: in particular, the company announces that chats will continue to be protected by a strong decision to prevent third parties (including WhatsApp) from intercepting content (encryption algorithm and sharing shared files and chat). News etc.).

No accounts will be deleted on May 15 and no features will be lost as a result of this update. What if you decide to delete your WhatsApp account instead? If someone starts deleting their WhatsApp account, they should know that it is an irreversible process. After deleting, the backup and all news history will be permanently deleted.

Already today Facebook and WhatsApp share some of their users’ data, such as the phone number provided during registration and some information about the technology device used (such as monitoring of various agreements given over the operating system and version of the application and over the years), but more relevant to improving your experience with Facebook products or on Facebook WhatsApp does not share your personal information with Facebook to provide you with advertising experiences.

WhatsApp, New Rules and EU Privacy Group: Point