It’s not been long since WhatsApp caused a massive stir and invited the wrath of users when it made its new privacy policy public. The backlash of users was so intense that the instant messaging giant had to put a hold on the privacy policy for some time. And in the recent move, WhatsApp took to its official blog to explain the consequences if a user disagrees with the latest privacy terms and does not accept it.
In an official blog post, the Facebook-owned app made it clear that eventually, users will have to agree with its renewed and controversial privacy terms if they want to enjoy the service’s complete functionality. The company even stated that if users do not accept the app’s privacy terms by May 15, 2021, then there will be consequences.
WhatsApp FAQ Page Answers Your Questions
Interestingly, the company has now published an FAQ on its website that details the said consequences. If you have been contemplating whether to accept or not to accept the privacy terms, please read carefully about what shall follow if you don’t.
A Snippet from FAQ’s:
To give you enough time to review changes at your own pace and convenience, we’ve extended the effective date to May 15th. If you haven’t accepted by then, WhatsApp will not delete your account. However, you won’t have full functionality of WhatsApp until you accept. For a short time, you’ll be able to receive calls and notifications, but won’t be able to read or send messages from the app.
WhatsApp FAQ
If you’re wondering what does it mean by ‘short time,’ then we must tell you that in a statement given to TechCrunch, WhatsApp said that ‘short time’ means fews weeks. WhatsApp also clarifies that its policy for inactive users will come into play after May 15, 2021.
WhatsApp won’t delete your account if you decline its privacy terms. The Facebook-owned instant messenger will also allow you to export your chat/account history to an Android/iOS phone or even download your account’s report before May 15, 2021.
WhatsApp’s rather aristocratic stand on its privacy terms and indirect pressure on users to accept it is infuriating. And if you are one of the users who refuse to comply with it and delete the account instead, you must know that if you quit the app, you won’t be able to reverse the action.
The app on its FAQ page says that if you delete the account, then “it erases your message history, removes you from all of your groups, and deletes backups.”
