Users who oppose WhatsApp's new privacy policy change, which includes exchanging data with Facebook firms, may not have their accounts deleted or deactivated, according to the company.
The business reverses a previous decision that offered users a hard deadline to either endorse sharing their data with Facebook or uninstall their profiles if they wanted to keep using their accounts.
WhatsApp's security changes, which have been in effect since the beginning of 2021, represent a 180-degree change from last year's privacy policy, which enabled users to opt-out of having their account information shared with Facebook.
Following this year's privacy updates, Facebook, Facebook Payments, Onavo, Facebook Technologies, and CrowdTangle will be able to view WhatsApp users' info.
"We and they will use the knowledge we share with them to help us run, provide, develop, understand, customize, support, and sell our Services and offers, including the Facebook Company Products," WhatsApp says.
Account deactivation is preferable to limited functionality.
WhatsApp also updated its FAQ page, reiterating the May 15th deadline for accepting the latest privacy updates and stating that "no one's account will be removed or lost features" as a result of the policy reform.
In a quote, WhatsApp said, "We've spent the last few months sharing more detail about our update to users around the world."
"In that period, the vast majority of those who downloaded the update have embraced it, and WhatsApp has continued to rise."
For the next few weeks, users will get alerts to approve sharing their data with Facebook, notifications that will eventually become persistent.
"Until you approve the changes, you'll have minimal features on WhatsApp," the company explained.
Users who refuse to approve the privacy upgrades will eventually see their accounts' features limited, according to WhatsApp's statement:
While you won't be able to reach your chat list, you will be able to answer the incoming phone and video calls. You may press on reminders to read or respond to messages or to return a missing phone or video call if you have them turned on.
You won't be able to accept incoming calls or updates after a few weeks of reduced functionality, and WhatsApp will cease delivering messages and calls to your account.
Users should assume the following updates until the privacy policy notification notifications become persistent, according to the organization.
image: WhatsApp
How to make a backup of your WhatsApp data and erase your account
Users who want to move from WhatsApp to another messaging site will download a report of their account and export their chat history from their iOS or Android computer.
Users who wish to uninstall their profile profiles before switching platforms will do so by following WhatsApp's step-by-step guidelines for Android, iPhone, and KaiOS.
"We can't undelete your account because it deletes your contact history, excludes you from any of your WhatsApp classes, and deletes your WhatsApp backups," the business explained.
Despite the fact that users' accounts will not be deactivated for refusing to share their data with Facebook, WhatsApp reminded them that their accounts will be permanently deleted after 120 days of inactivity, as per the company's new inactive account deletion policy.
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source: bleepingcomputer.com
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