Users who do not agree to the privacy terms cannot read texts

After causing a huge virtual fusion with the announcement of its new privacy policy, then postponing the implementation of the said policy due to the fury online, WhatsApp has spent the past few weeks trying not to stir up trouble. However, he has just revealed what will happen to users who do not agree to its new privacy policy by the May 15 deadline.

WhatsApp has apparently sent an email to some of its merchant partners to inform them that it will “slowly ask” users to agree to the new privacy policy “in order to have all the functionality” of the app, according to TechCrunch, who saw an email and confirmed its veracity with WhatsApp. The email also reported a WhatsApp public FAQ page titled “What Happens on the Effective Date?”

The FAQ page states that WhatsApp will not delete accounts for users who do not agree to the new terms, but will not be able to use it as they normally do.

“If you haven’t accepted by then, WhatsApp won’t delete your account. However, you won’t have all the features of WhatsApp until you agree. For a short time you will be able to receive calls and notifications, but you will not be able to read or send messages from the app, ”WhatsApp wrote.

If the “for a short time” part you’re scratching your head, WhatsApp has worked out, sort of. Users who do not accept the new privacy policy by May 15 will be considered an inactive user and subject to WhatsApp existing policy on this front, as described below.

“To maintain security, limit data retention, and protect the privacy of our users, WhatsApp accounts are typically deleted after 120 days of inactivity,” WhatsApp says. “Content stored locally on a user’s device before the account was deleted will remain until WhatsApp is deleted from the device. When a user re-signs up for WhatsApp on the same device, their locally stored content reappears. “

Now after reading this it still wasn’t really specify whether WhatsApp would delete the accounts of people who have not accepted its privacy policy after 120 days. Gizmodo has contacted WhatsApp to seek clarification. We will make sure to update this blog if we have a response.

In addition to keeping its head down, WhatsApp has also been trying to reassure users that he has no harmful plans to share their personal data with its parent company, Facebook. (It should be noted that tThe company has been sharing basic metadata with Facebook, such as anonymous phone identifiers, since 2016). Just to make it clear the new app privacy policy does not affect users who are just using the app to send messages to your friends and family at the moment. The changes only apply to businesses that use WhatsApp to communicate with their customers.

Sure Thursday, WhatsApp has announced that it will begin displaying an in-app banner providing more information about its privacy policy “that people can read at their own pace.”

“Eventually, we’ll start reminding people to review and accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp,” WhatsApp said.

Interestingly, in the announcement, WhatsApp mentioned that it was important for people to know “how we can provide WhatsApp for free”. The company said it was asking businesses to provide “customer service” on the app and that it involved Facebook so that businesses could manage their inventory through the apps.

While some users may be outraged by WhatsApp bornw privacy policy – which, let’s remember, doesn’t affect individual users yet – this commercial update is an important reminder that not much is really free in technology. If a service or app claims it’s free, remember that you are probably pay for it with your data.