For now, there will be no consequences for WhatsApp users for not agreeing to the new data protection provisions for the chat service. A Facebook spokesperson said on Friday that there are no plans currently to restrict their jobs on the tech blogs “The Next Web” and “The Verge.” WhatsApp wants to clarify this after consulting with authorities and experts. Instead, these users will be reminded to update “from time to time”.
WhatsApp put new data protection regulations into place about two weeks ago. And she said that users who do not agree to the update threaten to lose important functions gradually after a few weeks with warnings. “There are currently no plans to make these reminders permanent or to limit the app’s functionality,” as stated in WhatsApp’s questions and answers about the new regulations. “Due to the May 15 update, none of the accounts will be deleted and WhatsApp functionality will not be restricted.”
According to previous announcements, users should lose access to their chat list over time, as explained by WhatsApp in a blog post. First of all, you should still be able to accept incoming audio and video calls and use notifications to reply to chat messages. After a few more weeks, WhatsApp was not sending calls or messages to their smartphones, that’s the announcement. How long will it take until then has always been an open question.
WhatsApp has always confirmed that the update does not include any additional data transfer to Facebook. The changes are primarily about creating better ways to communicate with companies. The end-to-end encryption is also not shaken, which only shows the chat content in clear text for the participating users.
Johannes Kaspar, an advocate for data protection in Hamburg, took a step anyway, and as a precaution, he issued an order in mid-May prohibiting Facebook from processing WhatsApp data from German users. It is valid for three months because the Irish Data Protection Authority is responsible for Facebook in Europe. WhatsApp replied that the arrangement was based on “a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and consequences of the modernization.”
WhatsApp had already rejected the announcement in January that it would share more data with the mother. However, the introduction of the new provisions has been delayed more than three months until May 15 after criticism and dwindling users.
At the same time, WhatsApp itself has asserted that exchanging messages with companies is different from exchanging messages with family or friends. When you communicate with a company via phone, email, or WhatsApp, they can use the information from those interactions with you for their own marketing purposes. This can also include advertising on Facebook. Now users should be aware of the new provisions if they want to communicate with a company. You receive support from Facebook, “according to the” The Next Web “statement.
Outside the European Union, some WhatsApp user data has been flowing to Facebook since 2016, for advertising purposes or to improve products.
