WhatsApp users are being informed they must consent to sharing their data with Facebook if they wish to continue using the app.
In a pop-up notification outlining the new terms of service, WhatsApp users are being informed they that unless they accept the new policy they will not be able to use the app beyond February 8.
So, essentially, it’s an ultimatum: share your data with a company with a less than perfect privacy record or lose access to all of your favourite group chats.
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The pop-up reads: “By tapping agree, you accept the new terms and privacy policy which take effect on February 8, 2021. After this date you’ll need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp.”
What exactly are users agreeing to? Well WhatsApp’s new terms of service states that the app is part of the Facebook family of companies and families share. Basically, it’s a big data sharing dinner party!
“We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market our Services and their offerings,” the policy states (via Ars Technica).
The new policy comes amid calls from regulators and watchdogs around the world seeking to break up Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram due to the immense size and scope of the collective companies Mark Zuckerberg has amassed down the years.
It also comes amidst a new crackdown from Apple on Facebook’s ability to track users around the web, between services, in order to target them with advertising. Facebook and WhatsApp have spoken out against the incoming practice, which will give users the option to opt out of the tracking tactics moving forward.
Will you agree to the terms for convenience or will you be moving your group chats to pastures new? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
