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WhatsApp has confirmed that users will not be able to read or send messages if they do not agree to its rules for sharing personal data with Facebook. The new terms and conditions sparked backlash and led to an increase in the popularity of rival apps.
On Sunday, the company shared details of how the new terms of service will affect its users with tech news website TechCrunch. The comment came after the outlet cited an email sent by WhatsApp to one of its merchant partners.
Last month, WhatsApp asked users to agree to an update that will allow the messenger to share personal data, such as phone numbers and locations, with Facebook, which owns the app.
WhatsApp will start “Ask slowly” users to approve the new conditions in order to have “Full functionality” of the messenger, if they have not done so, before May 15th. If users still do not agree to the terms, for “a limited time” they will be able to receive calls and notifications, but will not be able to read or send messages. This “short moment” will amount to a few weeks, TechCrunch said. The planned update immediately sparked an uproar and privacy concerns. The backlash prompted the company to move the deadline for the change from February 8 to May 15.
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A petition has been filed in a court in Delhi, India, WhatsApp’s largest marketplace, alleging that the messenger’s new terms of service violate the right to privacy and pose a threat to national security. Earlier this month, the court asked the company to provide a response to the allegations.
The controversy prompted some to switch to WhatsApp’s competitors Telegram and Signal, the latter being pushed by Elon Musk. Both services have seen an increase in downloads in recent weeks.
WhatsApp wrote on its corporate blog on Thursday that users’ private messages would continue to be secure. “We will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages,” the company said.
He added that the update will allow users to chat with businesses or make purchases online, and this feature will be “Completely optional.”
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