WhatsApp is all set to try and once again convince users to accept its controversial service terms and privacy policy that had come under fire in January. Starting Friday, the messaging application will begin alerting users about its policy updates, which will be enforced on 15 May, according to WhatsApp officials.
The Facebook-owned app had earlier planned to implement the policy in February and had started in-app notifications about the changes in January. However, the updates were met with intense backlash by users, who raised concerns about data privacy. Even the Government asked WhatsApp to withdraw the changes, citing data concerns.
WhatsApp is not changing its schedule or privacy policy. But it’s introducing a banner in the app to make you understand it better. You can tap on the banner to read the explainer, learn more, and accept it.
WhatsApp has been accused of forcing people to accept its new privacy policy. When the company first made an announcement about the policies, it gave a deadline to the users to either accept the terms of service or lose access to their WhatsApp. This irked most users as it seemed like a desperate effort to make users accept whatever terms and conditions they have in store. It was speculated that WhatsApp wants to read the private conversations of users and share the information with Facebook. In January, WhatsApp had notified the users about changes in its policies through an in-app notification. Whatsapp had said that the new services will go live on February 8 but the date was later pushed to May 15.
The banner will appear at the top of the chat and in order to read them, users will have to tap on the “Tap to review”. Once rolled out, WhatsApp will keep reminding users to read the terms of service and then accept the new update.
