WhatsApp has confirmed that users cannot read or send messages unless they agree to the rules for sharing personal data with Facebook. The new T&C fell back again and led to an increase in popularity of competing programs.
The company shared details on Sunday about how the new terms of service will affect its users with the tech news website TechCrunch. The comment comes after the store quoted an email that WhatsApp sent to one of its trading partners.
Last month, WhatsApp asked users to agree to an update that allows the messenger to share personal data, such as phone number and location, with Facebook, which owns the app.
WhatsApp will launch “Still asking” users to sign the new terms to have it “Full functionality” of the messenger, if they have not already done so, before 15 May. If users still do not accept the terms, for ‘A short time’ they can receive calls and notifications, but cannot read or send messages. It “short time” will take a few weeks, TechCrunch said. The planned update immediately raises eyebrows and concerns about privacy. The setback prompted the company to move the deadline for the change from February 8 to May 15.
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A request has been filed before a court in Delhi, India, the largest market of WhatsApp, alleging that the messenger’s new terms of service violate the right to privacy and threaten national security. The court asked the company earlier this month to respond to these claims.
The dispute prompted some to switch to WhatsApp rivals Telegram and Signal, with Elon Musk pushing last. Both services have seen an increase in downloads over the past few weeks.
WhatsApp wrote on its corporate blog on Thursday that users’ private messages will still be secure. “We will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption so that WhatsApp and Facebook cannot see these private messages,” said the company.
It added that the update will allow users to chat with businesses or shop online, and this feature will also be “Completely optional.”
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