WhatsApp has confirmed it still plans to limit access for users don’t agree to its controversial new privacy policy by May 15.
In a new FAQ on the Facebook-owned company’s website, WhatsApp says hold-outs will not be able to send, read or reply to messages after May 15. The company says those users will be able to make and receive voice calls for a brief period, but that won’t last long.
WhatsApp says it won’t delete users’ accounts, but they will be useless for all intents and purposes, unless users agree to the privacy policy. The company says it will enable users to accept the updates after May 15 passes, in order to restore full functionality to the app.
Today’s new information offers instructions for users to export their chat history, but that’ll only seemingly be possible before May 18. Those who choose to delete their accounts are warned there’ll be no coming back, if they wish to keep their current messages.
Related: Is WhatsApp safe?
The post says: “If you’d like to delete your account on Android, iPhone, or KaiOS, we hope you reconsider. It is something we cannot reverse as it erases your message history, removes you from all of your WhatsApp groups, and deletes your WhatsApp backups.”
WhatsApp has faced criticism for the ‘our way or the highway’ attitude to the new policy. The company has rejected the fears over data-sharing with Facebook that seems to have riled up some of the user base. Millions have sought out alternative apps like Telegram and Signal over the controversy.
Last week, WhatsApp said: “Your acceptance of the new Terms of Service does not expand WhatsApp’s ability to share user data with its parent company Facebook.”
Are you planning to ditch WhatsApp in the coming weeks over the enforced privacy policy changes? 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.
