Last week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered WhatsApp to reverse its new privacy policy, failing which it would take "necessary steps in accordance with law." The Communications Ministry previously stated that WhatsApp's new terms of service violate IT law, to which WhatsApp responded that the new privacy policy complies.

Now, days after WhatsApp's May 15 deadline for accepting the new terms of service, some users who have not complied with the new terms of service are experiencing the after-effects that the Facebook-owned company had promised would gradually manifest for users after persistent reminders to accept the new privacy policy.

On Monday, Twitter user @rohitghalsasi noted that WhatsApp is no longer allowing users to make audio/video calls if they have not accepted their new privacy policies.

"So, if you haven't accepted their new privacy policies, you won't be able to make audio/video calls on @WhatsApp. GoI MeitY's Twitter handle is @GoI MeitY. Can they do that, especially since you requested that the new policy be withdrawn?" Ghalsasi penned the piece.

While the calling feature appears to be working for most users who have not yet accepted the new terms of service, it appears that WhatsApp has begun applying the restrictions to some users at random, which is similar to A-B testing.

WhatsApp previously stated that users who do not accept the new terms of service will not lose their WhatsApp accounts by May 15, but may gradually lose functionality "This will not happen to all users at once. You will not be able to access your chat list, but you will be able to answer incoming phone and video calls. If you have notifications turned on, you can use them to read or respond to a message or to return a missed phone or video call."

Currently, while making audio and video calls, WhatsApp displays a pop-up to some users who have not accepted the terms of service. It says, "WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption to protect your conversations. This means that your messages, phone calls, and status updates remain private between you and the people you choose. Even WhatsApp is unable to read or listen to them." This could be a precursor to the next step, which is to remove the functionality entirely.

It is worth noting that MeitY gave WhatsApp a week to roll back its privacy policy on May 18, and there has been no sign of a roll back in terms of service from WhatsApp. WhatsApp had previously stated that it would not postpone the May 15 deadline for accepting the new terms of service and would instead give users some time to adjust to the new terms. WhatsApp has stated that its messages are encrypted end-to-end, and the new terms of service apply only to special business accounts.

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