Home News Media News Reminders on rise as WhatsApp update deadline looms

Reminders on rise as WhatsApp update deadline looms

Users yet to accept new terms and conditions for the messaging platform WhatsApp will start to get “persistent” reminders after the 15 May deadline.

The changes relate primarily to the way businesses interact with customers.

Since they were announced, in January, there has been concern about the prospect of increased data sharing with WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, but this will not be changing.

Most of the app’s two billion users had already accepted, the company said.

Those who do not will start to lose functionality – beginning with being unable to see chat lists and ending with not receiving video calls and messages – but no accounts will be deleted.

Following the January announcement, users threatened to boycott the app and rival platforms such as Telegram and Signal saw record downloads.

But WhatsApp said it had been a victim of “misinformation”.

WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, so they can be read on the devices of the sender and recipient only.

In an earlier post, WhatsApp said the data it shared with other Facebook companies included:

  • phone number and other information provided on registration (such as name)
  • information about users’ phone, including make, model, and mobile company
  • IP address, which indicates the location of users’ internet connection
  • any payments and financial transactions made over WhatsApp

But this does not apply in Europe and the UK, where different privacy laws exist.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57100471

Written By: Zoe Kleinman

Image Credit: Getty Images

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Know your Parliament – North Central Province Workshop –  Anuradhapura

Know your Parliament Youth workshop series on understanding the role of the parliament North Central Province Workshop -  Anuradhapura The third workshop of the "Know Your Parliament"...

Press Club Event – “The India Story: Reform | Perform | Transform”

The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) hosted the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H. E. Santhosh Jha on the topic "The India...

Journalism in the Age of Disinformation: The Truth Toolkit for Journalists – Kegalla District Workshop

The Sri Lanka Press Institute is conducting a series of workshops for journalists and media professionals on 'Journalism in the Age of Disinformation: The...

Advanced data journalism training

The advanced data journalism training was successfully concluded with renowned expert Ms. Gurman Bhatia, Award-winning Data Journalist and Director of Revisual Labs, sharing her...

Recent Comments