After the uproar over the early 2021 privacy policy change, WhatsApp has reached an agreement with the European Commission. WhatsApp will make it easier for customers to reject revisions to the terms of service following consultations with the European Commission and EU consumer protection agencies. According to the Commission, the Meta-owned brand would also “clearly explain” when rejecting those conditions may limit service use. Users can also ignore messages regarding these upgrades and postpone evaluating them.
The company also clarified that it does not share personal information with other Meta companies, like Facebook, for advertising purposes. According to the Commission, it also does not share that data with third parties.
As part of its new privacy policy, WhatsApp provoked outrage at the start of 2021 when it requested users to share data including connection information and transactions with sibling brands like Facebook. Though little changed for users, others saw this as an indication that WhatsApp was exchanging messages and calls with Facebook. This resulted in a major migration to rival encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram. WhatsApp attempted to convince users that it could not access end-to-end encrypted communications, but the uproar forced the firm to halt the policy’s implementation. Once it did reintroduce the new conditions, it provided explanations but cautioned that unless customers consented to the terms, the service will progressively cease to function.
In response to concerns of unfair practices, the European Commission intervened in January of last year, urging WhatsApp to better clarify how it handles people’s data. It also requested WhatsApp in June to explain its business strategy and if it benefitted from personal data.
With future policy revisions, the Commission’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network intends to “actively monitor” WhatsApp’s implementation of these assurances. Any infractions may result in fines and other consequences. The chat giant isn’t the only one under fire. According to the Commission, it will continue to search for “dark patterns,” or attempts to unjustly force users to accept subscriptions, policy changes, or other undesired features. And take this as a heads up if additional agreements like WhatsApp’s emerge in the near future.
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