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WhatsApp is asking its users to accept the new terms of service and privacy policies. Users who refuse to share this data will no longer be able to use the messaging app from February 8th. The notification reads: “By tapping ‘I accept’, you accept the new terms and privacy policy, which will come into effect on February 8, 2021. After this date, you will need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp. You can also visit the help center if you prefer to delete your account and want more information ”.
The company announces that the changes will actually affect only the ‘business’ accounts subscribed to the service: “There will be no changes in sharing data with Facebook regarding non-business chats and account information and, as regards the corporate messaging, we are not requiring users to share data ”.
WhatsApp, which was bought by Facebook for about $ 20 billion in 2014, confirmed that starting this week it began sending its nearly two billion users a notification about its privacy policy and terms of service, but at the for the sole purpose of providing “clearer and more detailed information to our users on how and why we use data”.
Facebook therefore denies what has been circulating in these hours, namely that the change in the rules is aimed at increasing the number of personal data that from the messaging app ends up in the social network in order to further monetize the service and open it to direct advertising by companies. At least this will not happen in Europe: “There are no changes to the way WhatsApp data is shared in the European Region (including the UK) resulting from the update of the terms of service and the Privacy Policy”, continues WhatsApp in a note official, which confirms that it does not share “the data of WhatsApp users in the European area with Facebook in order to allow Facebook to use such data to improve its products or advertisements”.
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