Under pressure from the EU Commission, Whatsapp has committed itself to more transparency when changing its terms of use. According to a statement, it should now be easier for European users to reject the updated terms of use. However, the European Consumers’ Association (BEUC) described the commitments as insufficient.
Now WhatsApp seems to have collapsed. The messenger service is committed to making changes to its terms of service more transparent and also showing what happens if they are rejected. Whatsapp also confirmed that the personal data of the users will not be passed on to third parties or other companies from the Meta Group – including Facebook and Instagram.
Consumer advocates disappointed
These concessions were handed over to the EU Commission, which is terminating the investigation into Whatsapp. However, BEUC Director General Ursula Pachl was disappointed with the result. “More transparency and easy ways to opt out of policy changes going forward are just not enough,” she told DPA.
The concessions are no help for the millions of users who were forced to accept the changed terms of use “due to WhatsApp’s aggressive behavior” in 2021. At the same time, it is a worrying signal that a tech giant could violate consumer rights and simply get away with promising to do better in the future.
