WhatsApp won't limit accounts that don't accept new privacy policy
WhatsApp is no longer going to limit the accounts of users who do not accept the updated privacy policy, with the Facebook-owned iOS app now saying it wont be harming anyone's usage of the service for the moment.

Since February, WhatsApp has warned users to accept the new privacy policy it brought into force from May 15th. Users who didn't accept the changes were informed they "won't have full functionality of WhatsApp" until they accept, but it seems the app has backtracked on the threat.
In a statement where it claims to have talked to "various authorities and privacy experts," WhatsApp seems to have reversed course on limiting accounts. "We want to make clear that we currently have no plans to limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works for those who have not yet accepted the update," the statement to The Next Web states.
It follows on "Instead, we will continue to remind users from time to time about the update as well as when people choose to use relevant optional features, like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook."
The statement is a considerable step backwards for WhatsApp, which was insistent in early May that after "several weeks" of non-acceptance, core functionality of the platform would have been restricted.
The policy changes produced an early user backlash on their announcement, which relate to how business chat logs are stored and retained on Facebook's servers, which critics saw as a wider grab for personal data from the social network. The backlash saw an exodus of millions of users from WhatsApp to other privacy services, which at one point caused an outage for rival chat service Signal.
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Since February, WhatsApp has warned users to accept the new privacy policy it brought into force from May 15th. Users who didn't accept the changes were informed they "won't have full functionality of WhatsApp" until they accept, but it seems the app has backtracked on the threat.
In a statement where it claims to have talked to "various authorities and privacy experts," WhatsApp seems to have reversed course on limiting accounts. "We want to make clear that we currently have no plans to limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works for those who have not yet accepted the update," the statement to The Next Web states.
It follows on "Instead, we will continue to remind users from time to time about the update as well as when people choose to use relevant optional features, like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook."
The statement is a considerable step backwards for WhatsApp, which was insistent in early May that after "several weeks" of non-acceptance, core functionality of the platform would have been restricted.
The policy changes produced an early user backlash on their announcement, which relate to how business chat logs are stored and retained on Facebook's servers, which critics saw as a wider grab for personal data from the social network. The backlash saw an exodus of millions of users from WhatsApp to other privacy services, which at one point caused an outage for rival chat service Signal.
Follow all the details of WWDC 2021 with the comprehensive AppleInsider coverage of the whole week-long event from June 7 through June 11, including details of all the new launches and updates.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
Comments
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys.
That’s probably the single best thing Apple ever did for consumers (in a longish kind of queue of things they’ve already accomplished), and I’m pleased they did. Most consumers are somewhat passive, but making the sharing of their private data an opt-in really shows what the value of these companies is in actuality; they are built upon shifting sands washed by the tides, and as castles built upon the shore, they too shall eventually crumble and decay. Companies like this simply shouldn’t even exist by rights.
Friends find a way.
It was Facebook that officially scrapped that model when they decided WhatsApp Business would support WhatsApp be free to consumers.
It's perfectly reasonable to think they could have continued with the old model where most people didn't actually pay anyway.
The problem with Facebook is that they have awful communication and a tendency to 'rape' the consumer for everything they have.
It seems these new terms are basically a formality as the changes they refer to have been in use for a few years already.
To complicate matters, different data and consumer protection laws in the regions where it operates mean that the communication of the changes will be dependent on where the user lives and Facebook really hasn't got a clue with that skill.
Messages is free on iDevices. WhatsApp is free on devices too. Paying for an app won't guarantee any real protection for users. You never really know if someone is going to sell out.