WhatsApp is forcing users who reside outside the European region to accept that the application shares their data with Facebook, the owner of the messaging application if they want to continue using the service. The company advises users in a notice that they must accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp or delete their accounts.The privacy policy and updates to the conditions are common in the industry and we are giving users ample notice to review the changes, which will take effect on Feb 8, a Facebook spokesperson told the agency News AFP. All users must accept the new terms of the company if they want to continue using WhatsApp, the spokesperson added.
Users in the European Union and the United Kingdom, although they will have to accept the new conditions, will not see the changes applied to their accounts, Facebook said. The measure has unleashed numerous criticisms of the policy for handling user data. Some online privacy activists questioned Facebook’s “accept our data collection or leave” policy, and suggested that users switch to apps like Signal and Telegram.
But they also reported that you can share any data covered by privacy policy, which could include contacts, status updates when people use WhatsApp, and for how long, and unique identification numbers for users phones. Facebook did not respond to a request from the www.jguru.com for clarification on why it has made these sudden changes.Arthur Messaud, a lawyer for The French association that defends internet users, said that if the only way to reject is to stop using WhatsApp, then the consent is forced since the use of data personal is illegal.
Given the changes in WhatsApp, downloads of the Signal application soared this Thursday after it was endorsed by personalities such as Tesla founder Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter.
Data analytics company Sensor Tower reported that more than 100,000 users installed Signal, while Telegram recorded nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to Reuters.WhatsApp downloads fell 11.2% in the first week of 2021 compared to the previous week, according to Sensor Tower.
This update of WhatsApp new privacy policy will not affect European users, according to a statement that Facebook released this Thursday, in which it says there would be no changes in the European region, which covers the EU, the European Economic Area, and the United Kingdom. For the avoidance of doubt, it remains true that WhatsApp does not share the data of its users in the European region with Facebook for Facebook using this data to improve its products or advertisements, said a spokesperson.
However, the new version of the terms of use for European users explicitly says that data can be shared with other Facebook companies to display personalized advertising and offers, make content suggestions, and help complete purchases, among other purposes. Facebook says it does not use WhatsApp information for such purposes in entire Europe, due to negotiations with European data protection bodies. This exception is considered by some to be a success and a result of strict privacy regulations in Europe introduced in recent years.
