Limited features if not accepting new WhatsApp terms

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Last January WhatsApp updated its terms of use, something that cause a huge controversy. That was so, that it had to delay its implementation until May 15 to try to explain exactly what was going on to their users. Now the company is stating that if we do not accept the new WhatsApp terms we will have limited access to the app. According to WhatsApp, “for a short period, you will be able to receive calls and notifications, but you will not be able to read or send messages from the application”.



In the new terms of use and privacy policy, WhatsApp states that it will allow Facebook to share and use the data obtained from WhatsApp for the rest of its services and purposes. This does not apply to the countries of the European Union thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, since it prevents Facebook from sharing WhatsApp data with other companies.

In the European Union, WhatsApp provides service through WhatsApp Ireland Limited, while in other countries it does so through WhatsApp LLC. This, in a nutshell, means that WhatsApp operates in the European Union through a separate company that is governed by its local rules.

The fine print

WhatsApp states that: “we do not share data to improve Facebook products on the platform or to offer more relevant ads on Facebook”. If we take a look at the global privacy policy, we will see that outside the European Union Facebook can use WhatsApp data to personalize content. According to the global privacy policy, they may use the data to:

“Improve their services and your experiences using them, such as making suggestions for you (for example, from friends or group connections or interesting content), personalizing features and content, helping you complete purchases and transactions, and showing you relevant advertising and offers to through the products of Facebook companies. “

Acceptance of the new WhatsApp terms and conditions of use is a mere procedure to continue using the application. Quoting WhatsApp verbatim: “your acceptance of the new conditions of service does not extend the ability of WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook, its parent company “.

What changes with the new WhatsApp terms?

WhatsApp will allows you to communicate with companies, whose profiles are marked in the application. For example, airlines, online stores, etc., making use of Facebook’s secure web hosting services. If we contact a company that uses such services, the company “may see the information that you are sharing and use it for its own marketing purposes, which could include the use of advertising on Facebook.”

On the other hand, we may see an ad for a company on Facebook with a button that allows you to send it a message on WhatsApp. “If you have WhatsApp installed on your phone, you will have the option of sending messages to that company. Facebook will be able to use the information on how you interact with those ads to personalize the ads you see on Facebook,” they explained.

However, neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see personal messages (which are end-to-end encrypted) or listen to calls. They also don’t keep track of who we call or chat with and they can’t see locations. Contacts are not shared with Facebook or with the other apps that Facebook offers.

If we don’t accept

Acceptance of the terms and conditions is imperative in order to continue using WhatsApp. We will have to do this before May 15 (although it can be accepted after that date). If we do not want to accept, we can download the information from our account and delete it.

If we do not accept the terms, for a short period of time we may receive calls and notifications, but not read or send messages from the application. In addition, the inactive accounts policy of WhatsApp will be triggered, which states that an account is inactive when it has no activity for 120 days. If we don’t agree to the terms, our account will eventually be deleted.

In short, the acceptance of the new terms of service is one more process that we must complete to continue using WhatsApp, but accepting them does not imply that WhatsApp can share more data with Facebook.

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