Starting May 15, no restrictions (yet)

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Now it’s getting serious – or isn’t it yet?

From May 15, new data protection rules for WhatsApp will be serious – or will they? In Zuckerberg’s house, it now had a fantastic role in retrospect: because users who don’t agree are less likely to notice it than they originally announced. A WhatsApp spokesperson said that all functionality would be retained from May 15, even if the user did not agree to the new rules – for now. US media service TechCrunch reports.

Nothing will happen from May 15

Changed terms of use of WhatsApp will come into force very soon. Because of this, there was already a lot of enthusiasm and many migrant users – including many top-class celebrities who saw publicly competing products. After widespread criticism of data usage at the beginning of the year, the company postponed the date to 15 May. For many users who do not yet agree to the new Terms of Use, time is running out. What if I do not agree? Now we know: it will happen once – nothing.

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Users who have not given their consent will lose functionality – “after a few weeks”

Because users who do not agree to the new terms will not lose access to their accounts or any functions on May 15, a WhatsApp spokesperson told TechCrunch. Only after a few weeks will these users lose many core functionality – how many weeks that would not have been communicated. As of February of this year, WhatsApp FAQ pages gave the impression that users would lose work shortly after 15 May.

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WhatsApp has also made it clear that there is no specific date from which users will lose functions or feel restricted. The spokesman said that the ban would not be for all users at the same time. “We will continue to provide reminders to these users within WhatsApp in the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.

What are the reasons for roll back?

Why does this role lag behind at a time when the image of service is already so badly battered – is it just intelligent insight? Hardly likely. Because in terms of user numbers, Facebook’s top messenger service is better than ever. A WhatsApp spokesperson said that most users who had informed WhatsApp about the planned update in recent months have accepted the update. And without giving the app the correct number, the spokesperson continues to be added. The company also did not disclose how many users it has informed about the planned updates so far.

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However, the latest annual report from Facebook states that the company’s entire app family had 3.45 billion monthly active users as of March 31, 2021, 3.3 billion on December 31 and 3.21 billion on September 30.