Today’s date, May 15, is a milestone in the history of WhatsApp. It’s the deadline for one of the biggest changes this service has had in recent years, opening the door to data collection for Facebook even in special situations.
This date had already been changed in the past, leaving more time to explain the situation. Today, and in a major turnaround, Brazil managed an additional 90 days for its users. Several entities have succeeded in shutting down the largest social network on the Internet.
Brazil wins against Facebook
Even with all the explanations presented by Facebook and WhatsApp, there is still a lot to explain. The new rules the courier wants to enforce opens the door to something many seem unwilling, but one that seems inevitable.
To counter this movement, at least in Brazil, several entities have come together and confronted Facebook and WhatsApp. The result has now appeared, with the postponement of the imposition of the new rules and changes to the accounts for 90 days, to be reassessed.
WhatsApp privacy policy postponed
It all came from the National Consumer Affairs Secretariat (Senacon), the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade). These entities had already advised WhatsApp last week to postpone a new privacy policy.
These new 90 days will be used by these bodies to continue to assess the overall situation. There is also the guarantee that, at this moment now reached, there will be no consequences for users who have not accepted the new privacy policy.
???? ATTENTION: if you have not yet accepted the change in the terms of use of your application, we recommend that you wait until May 15th.
We are putting pressure on the authorities and by then things can change! #Whatsapp #Terms of use #Privacy # Data protection #Personal data pic.twitter.com/rKTqPQ84lt
– Idec (@idec) 20 avril 2021
90 days without impact on users
As in Europe, where the GDPR has a very important weight, in the case of Brazil, there may be something similar. The General Data Protection Act (LGPD), in force since last September, could be the weapon to prevent Facebook and WhatsApp from collecting the data that is intended.
It remains to be seen how this process will end, with all the new conditions. This is not the first time that this date has been postponed, but it always comes down to being accepted by users, apparently always with more force.
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