Facebook caves in: WhatsApp users who don't accept the new privacy policy won't have their accounts deleted

WhatsApp users who don't accept the new privacy policies of the service won't have their accounts deleted or functionality limited, after all.

Facebook introduced updated terms of service and a new privacy policy for its popular messaging service some time ago. The company extended the deadline once but stuck to May 15, 2021 despite far reaching user protests and media coverage on the situation.

Users of WhatsApp who would not accept the new terms and the privacy policy would have their functionality limited up until recently. The staged reduction of functionality would remove the ability to initiate chats or calls before options to respond to chats or calls would be removed as well, and eventually the termination of the account.

A published FAQ page about the changes and consequences of not accepting the terms and new policy on the WhatsApp website was updated recently, and it appears that Facebook had a change of heart.

According to the updated FAQ, accounts of users who don't accept the new privacy policy or terms won't be deleted after all, and the functionality won't be reduced as well.

What happens on the effective date?
No one will have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of WhatsApp on May 15th because of this update.

Facebook notes that the new privacy policy and terms were accepted by the majority of users already, and that users who have not accepted them will continue to see the notification when WhatsApp is used.

The reminder won't become persistent anymore, something that the company planned to do previously.

Users may be exposed to options to accept the new terms and privacy policy according to the update, for instance when they re-register WhatsApp or "use a feature that's related" to the update for the first time.

Closing Words

Facebook does not reveal why it decided to change course, but a likely explanation is that its strict course led to users leaving the platform. Competing services noticed huge gains in user numbers after Facebook made the announcement.

Nothing is going to change for WhatsApp users who have not accepted the terms and privacy policy by now. They will continue to see the notification, but that is the extend of that for now.

Now You: do you use WhatsApp? Have you accepted the terms?

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