WhatsApp terms of use 2021

Agree to terms and conditions or block?

What’s behind the WhatsApp Terms of Service 2021? What happens now if you have not agreed to the new GTC? Will your WhatsApp account be blocked now? We’ll clear it up in this WhatsApp tutorial.

Why is WhatsApp changing its terms of service?

Ever since the beginning of the year, WhatsApp has been in the news with the changes to its terms of service. Since May 15, the new conditions have come into force. But why did WhatsApp change its terms of service in the first place? Back in 2019, Facebook chief Zuckerberg announced that its three major apps, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, would be linked to create direct communication. This has already been possible between Facebook and Instagram for some time. WhatsApp also wants to become a communication tool between users and businesses in the future.

This is what WhatsApp says

There is an example of this in the WhatsApp help section. It says, “Larger companies, such as airlines or retailers, may be contacted by thousands of customers in a short period of time, who may ask for information about a flight or even want to follow up on an order. To ensure a quick response, these companies can use Facebook as a technology provider to manage some of the responses on their behalf.” So WhatsApp wants to allow companies to use Facebook’s servers.

This is what will change with the WhatsApp Terms of Service 2021

The introduction of the new terms of service allows the Messenger service to share data with businesses on Facebook. The companies are then also allowed to use this data for advertisements. But this part of the new terms of use does not apply within the EU. In 2014, when Facebook bought WhatsApp, the EU Commission prohibited such data sharing. Facebook only gets metadata, which they are not allowed to use for advertising purposes. In addition, the company repeatedly emphasized that the new terms of use do not result in the transfer of data from private chats to Facebook. Messages in private chats are still encrypted with end-to-end encryption. However, this does not apply to chats between private individuals and companies.

That was the consequence

Since many users did not want to agree to this condition of use, WhatsApp threatened with various consequences. The first deadline was thought to be 08 February. As a result, many users left the app and the company extended the deadline to May 15. But if the users would not agree by then, they should be gradually unable to use various functions of the app. Facebook now retracted this threat. Whatsapp’s website says, “No accounts will be deleted or WhatsApp functionality limited as a result of the May 15 update,” and “There are currently no plans to make these reminders permanent or limit the app’s functionality.”

WhatsApp terms of use - What the experts say

As a precautionary measure, German data protection officer Johannes Caspar nevertheless issued an order in mid-May prohibiting Facebook-WhatsApp from processing data of German users. However, this only applies for three months, as the Irish data protection authority is responsible for Facebook in Europe. Let’s summarize. So for now, you still have the option to use the app under the old terms of service if you don’t want to agree to the new ones. You do not get any restrictions for the use of the app. If you agree to the changes, your data from private chats will not be used for marketing purposes. These remain encrypted due to the EU.

In terms of online marketing we are happy to help

We hope we could bring light into the darkness and help you with this information. If you have any questions about WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business for your company or if you want to use other online marketing channels, please contact the experts at eBakery, we are happy to help you as a social media agency.

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