Whatsapp’s New Terms of Service and Policy Postponed After Global Outrage

Whatsapp’s new Terms of Service and Policy which was to take effect on February 8, 2021, has been postponed. 

Last week was a buzz as Whatsapp’s new terms of use hit screens on many Andriod and IOS smart devices of users who have installed the Whatsapp.

The new policy indicated that the failure of a user of the app to accept Whatsapp’s new terms of service would mean the user would lose access to the messenger.

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This message led to panicking globally, and many users of Whatsapp quickly switched to Telegram and Signal. 

Miss information might have caused the series of agitation but also the short period within which the app owned by Facebook was going to implement the new policy was a contributing factor.

The reality is that many accepted the new policy changes without reading them.

Whatsapp’s New Terms of Service and Policy Implementation Date

To ensure users of WhatsApp are well educated on the new Whatsapp terms of use, the company has postponed the implementation until 15th May 2021. 

However, the new changes only affect those who interact with WhatsApp Business accounts. This means business account holders can use their Facebook hosting service to manage their Chats on Whatsapp. 

Such users can also take advantage of Facebook-branded commercial features;  stores, display Facebook ads and use other features.

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Whiles using these services, Facebook will collect information about the user and the interaction with ads of the company.

To alley the fears of its users Whatsapp has indicated it will not enforce the new terms of use. It said”

“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms.

No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8.

We’re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp.

We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15”.

 

According to Whatsapp, the New Whatsapp Terms of Use does alter anything on the app. Messaging, calling, and all other features remain the same. All messages and called made by users will remain encrypted. No message shared by users will be shared or stored on Facebook’s servers.

Many might have become frightened because they never knew Whatsapp was owned by Facebook and that they are sharing very little data already. For now, users enjoy sharing their Whatsapp Status on Facebook without complaining. 

In the next three months, Whatsapp is expected to enlighten its users around the world with detailed explanations to build the needed customer trust before rolling out the new Terms of Service and Policy on May 15, 2021.

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Source: GhanaEducation.Org