WhatsApp will limit functionality unless users accept new terms

Facebook-owned WhatsApp will start forcing users to accept its new terms and conditions with persistent reminders or limit functionality of the encrypted messaging application, said a blog post by the company.

WhatsApp has been under a lot of criticism for its updated terms and conditions, which will allow additional data sharing with parent company Facebook to personalize user experience on the platform.

However, the updated privacy policy has received a lot of backlash from users but the company issued clarification regarding the matter and stated that its new terms will only affect customers chatting with WhatsApp business accounts.

Despite the clarification, the users of the messaging application featured that the new policy could open door to broader data sharing with parent company Facebook, eventually compromising on user privacy.

WhatsApp ended up delaying implementation of its updated terms and conditions till 15 May 2021. However, the company has mentioned in a recent blog post that users will start getting “persistent” reminders and eventually lose some of the functionality of the application if they do not accept the new terms and conditions.

“After giving everyone time to review, we’re continuing to remind those who haven’t had the chance to do so to review and accept,” said WhatsApp in the blog post.

“After a period of several weeks, the reminder people receive will eventually become persistent.” it continued. At some point, users will “encounter limited functionality on WhatsApp until you accept the updates,”

Furthermore, it mentioned that users will be unable to access chat list but will still be allowed to answer incoming phone and video calls. However, after a few weeks of this limited functionality, users will stop receiving incoming calls and notifications as well.

What do you think about WhatsApp forcing customers to accept its terms and conditions or limit the functionality of its application? Let us know in the comment section below.

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