Starting today, WhatsApp will begin taking action against users who have not accepted the privacy policy. No, it will not delete users' accounts, but it will disable some basic features.

Users are still undecided about accepting the privacy policy because there is insufficient information about what it truly entails. Meanwhile, Signal, an encrypted messaging app, has taken full advantage of the opportunity to draw users to its own platform.

A few days before the dreaded May 15 deadline, WhatsApp announced that it would not delete users' accounts if they did not accept the privacy policy by that date.

By posting a cheeky update on Twitter today, WhatsApp reminded users that their accounts will not be deleted.

Since the announcement of its new privacy policy, WhatsApp has been bombarded with complaints from users. Users were first notified about it in January via an in-app notification, with a deadline of February 8 to accept the privacy policy. However, users were outraged by the lack of clarity, and the majority of them migrated to other messaging apps such as Signal and Telegram. Users assumed WhatsApp would share users' private conversations with Facebook, forcing the company to push back the launch date to May 15.

However, the terms and conditions have now been modified. WhatsApp had previously given users an ultimatum to accept the privacy policy in order to continue using the app, but it has now stated that the account will not be deleted. While WhatsApp will not delete the account, it will remove some basic features and turn the app into a dummy app.

“After a few weeks of limited functionality, you will no longer be able to receive incoming calls or notifications, and WhatsApp will no longer send messages or calls to your phone. At that point, users will have to choose whether to accept the new terms or be prevented from using WhatsApp at all,” WhatsApp said in a statement to The Guardian.

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Facebook will buy a 10 per cent stake in the digital business of India's Reliance Industries for INR 43,574 crores, as the social media firm looks to leverage its highly popular WhatsApp chat service to offer digital payment services. The deal will help the Indian conglomerate cut debt that has piled up in its expensive push to secure top spot for its Jio Infocomm telecom business.

WhatsApp is trying to secure approval to roll out its digital payment service in India, which will see it compete in a crowded market with the likes of Google Pay and Paytm. The approval to expand beyond the beta launch hasn't come through yet.

"(India) is in the middle of a major digital transformation and organizations like Jio have played a big part in getting hundreds of millions of Indian people and small businesses online," Facebook founder CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post.

The messaging service has 40 crore users in India, its biggest market, reaching nearly 80 per cent of smartphone users in the country. The deal will also help the social media giant leverage WhatsApp to partner with Reliance's e-commerce marketplace JioMart, that connects small businesses to customers.

Jio has become the country's largest wireless operator within about three years of its launch, Mumbai-headquartered Reliance has also rapidly expanded its retail business, which now has over 10,000 stores selling groceries, consumer electronics and apparel.

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The Facebook-owned platform previously said it had been the victim of misinformation around the change. But WhatsApp now says it has reflected on how it could have explained the changes better. The phrasing of the warning in the initial push led to widespread fears that it was going to share large amounts of WhatsApp data with Facebook. In reality, very little had changed in that area. Almost all users had previously accepted the type of data sharing involved. As part of its second attempt to convince users, WhatsApp will begin displaying a banner alert within the app in the coming weeks. It encourages users to learn more about the update and what is - and is not - changing. Messages informing users of the update will also be displayed in the Status section of the app. The new terms are scheduled to come into effect on 15 May.

 

WhatsApp says the data it shares with its parent company does not include messages, groups, or call logs. Instead, it says the new terms focus on changes to allow users to message businesses.  WhatsApp already shares information with Facebook, such as your IP address and information about your phone, as well as purchases made via the platform.  However, this does not apply in Europe and the UK, where different privacy laws exist.  But privacy experts mention the saga highlights how unaware users are of how their data is being used. In its attempts to demonstrate that it is not doing anything wrong, Whatsapp has in turn unwittingly found out that it is actually storing massive volumes of data for Facebook. That vindicates those who decided to leave Whatsapp, he said.  "The biggest takeaway from all of this is that Whatsapp was already harvesting device level identifiers, IP addresses, and purchase info on behalf of Facebook - and that until recent media attention, the general public was largely unaware."

• Signal Messaging service reinstated after shutdown
• U.S. authorities are opening privacy investigations of tech companies

Whatsapp was focusing on what they could do differently here. They want you to know their experience of defending end-to-end encryption and believe that they are committed to protecting people's privacy and protection. They're still trying to do a lot better to be transparent on developments in the future. In January, government officials in India ordered the networking giant to withdraw the proposed reforms. 

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WhatsApp has recently implemented its most recent privacy policy with a revised access agreement that includes a proposal to exchange more user data with parent company Facebook.

The deadline for WhatsApp users to approve a revised privacy policy is May 15. The policy, which was first communicated to users in early 2021, sparked a lot of debate. This time, however, WhatsApp has stated that while acceptance of the policy is not needed, users who refuse to implement it will lose access to some of WhatsApp's most popular features. In other words, WhatsApp is once again asking its users to embrace it or face the consequences.

Early in January, WhatsApp users were asked to approve the latest "Updated Terms and Privacy Policy" via an in-app notification. Then came the backlash from consumers.

Users, in particular, took issue with one aspect of WhatsApp's new privacy policy: the firmness with which the company pressured users to embrace it. Users must embrace the policy or they will lose access to the app and will no longer be able to use WhatsApp, according to the statement.

According to Facebook and WhatsApp, the new privacy policy was necessary because WhatsApp needed to share some information with Facebook in order to implement e-commerce features in the app. It was also necessary for the app to improve the functionality of the business accounts. It was all for the good of consumers, according to the company. It claimed that the new privacy policy's improvements in data sharing with Facebook only affected business accounts and the chats users would have with those accounts.

The majority of users, however, were not persuaded. They were alarmed to learn that WhatsApp will be sharing more data with Facebook. They were also irritated by WhatsApp's insistence that they adopt the policy or risk losing access to the app.

As a result, a deadlock was reached. The deadline for the revised privacy policy has been moved back to May 15. It also vowed to conduct a more thorough review of its privacy policies for users.

The deadline of May 15 is rapidly approaching. Unlike the last time, WhatsApp has changed its strategy. No one will lose access to the app if they refuse to accept the new privacy terms, according to the company. They would only lose access to a few — Significant — features instead.

In some ways, it's almost the same thing. WhatsApp's goal remains the same, and the company recognizes that by limiting functionality, it is effectively pressuring users to follow the new privacy policy. In other words, it seems to be extortion.

And it seems that way, because if users can use the same functionality now even if they haven't approved the new privacy policy, the cap WhatsApp will impose on the app after May 15 will be artificial.

Features that won't work after May 15

WhatsApp recently updated its FAQ page to explain what will happen on May 15 if users do not agree to the current terms and privacy policy. The first line on the FAQ page states, "No one's account will be removed or their WhatsApp features will be lost as a result of this update on May 15."

After May 15, users still have time to approve the updates, according to WhatsApp. That means the messaging platform will continue to display a constant reminder on the app, and users will soon see restricted features before they embrace the new terms.

In addition to restricted features, the WhatsApp FAQ page states that users will not be able to access their chat list until a later date, but they will be able to address incoming voice and video calls. When users who have not approved the new policy open WhatsApp, a persistent alert will appear. Users who have notifications allowed, however, can tap on them to read or respond to a message or call back a missed phone or video call, according to the company.

"You won't be able to accept incoming calls or updates after a few weeks of minimal functionality, and WhatsApp will avoid sending messages and calls to your phone," the company adds.

In other words, even though you keep your WhatsApp account, you won't be able to do anything about it if you don't agree to the new privacy policy. In other words, WhatsApp is sending out the same message: Accept our policy or find another choice.

This is a serious issue. There are two explanations for this. One, even though WhatsApp claims that its new policy only applies to business accounts, users who refuse to follow it lose access to not only business chats and business account features in the app, but also personal chats and other features.

Why can't WhatsApp let people who just use WhatsApp for personal contact have the old privacy policy if it really cares about their convenience? It could easily do so and inform users that they must support the new privacy policy in order to access business chats and e-commerce features. Otherwise, you'll be limited to using the software for private contact. WhatsApp, on the other hand, isn't saying that.

Second, the new policy would not apply to users in a variety of other countries where privacy rules are strict and governments often protect users' interests.

It goes without saying that WhatsApp is a private service. It owes no obligations to users other than those mandated by statute. It is, however, a service that is used by over a billion people worldwide. As a result, it isn't yet another app. Since it is a part of life, anything it does will be scrutinized by the public, which smaller apps will be able to stop or get away with.

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