WhatsApp users were greeted with the following message today morning –

WhatsApp was lately updating its T&C and had started to role out the notifications for the same, from December 2020, in a phase wise manner. The terms and conditions are meant to provide better integration for its users across platforms.

What information will WhatsApp collect?

The most prominent changes in the terms are how WhatsApp shares your data with Facebook and other subsidiaries.

“The information we share with the other Facebook Companies includes your account registration information (such as your phone number), transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services, mobile device information, your IP address, and may include other information identified in the Privacy Policy section entitled ‘Information We Collect’ or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent,” WhatsApp on the information it shares with Facebook and its subsidiaries.

When will the update come into effect?

The update will come into effect from February 8th, 2021. It is mandatory for everyone to accept the terms and conditions, failing which one will lose access to their account.

In short, WhatsApp has made data sharing to FB mandatory. The company has also added a new section on – “Payments and Transaction data” If you use their payment services, they will collect the payment account details and transaction information that is used to complete the payment.

Furthermore, the company has also renamed its ‘Affiliated Companies’ section to ‘How We Work With Other Facebook Companies’. In this section, it details how the collaboration works and affects its day-to-day workings. This also marks a significant shift in Facebook’s approach towards its companies from being individual entities to being a part of the company’ family of apps.

What do you think of this move by WhatsApp?

Do share your comments below 👇

Also read – New World Record for WhatsApp on New Year’s Eve 2020

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