WhatsApp to deactivate messages for users who reject new terms

The platform had initially fixed its cut-off date of February 8 for accepting the new terms and conditions but later shifted it to May amid widespread outrage.

According to BBC, WhatsApp reiterated that users who fail to accept the messaging app’s terms by the May deadline date are headed for deactivation.

It is understood that their account will be listed as “inactive” and inactive accounts can be deleted after 120 days.

The new privacy policy has sparked controversy among some users, who expressed concerns that it allows WhatsApp to share their private messages with its parent company Facebook.

WhatsApp, however, clarified that this wasn’t the case, noting that the update is aimed at enabling payments to be made to businesses.

“We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There’s been a lot of misinformation causing concern and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts,” it wrote.

“WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption.

“Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. It’s why we don’t keep logs of who everyone’s messaging or calling. We also can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook.

“With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, the update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data.”

TheCable Lifestyle had reported how Signal, one of WhatsApp’s rivals, witnessed a huge surge in downloads across the world following endorsements from Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; and Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO.

Telegram also witnessed tremendous growth as the cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app raked in 500 million active users in the first week of January.