Whatsapp: EU issues ultimatum
The EU Commission has given Whatsapp an ultimatum. The company must declare within one month whether and how user data will be used commercially.
In May 2021, the instant messenger service Whatsapp introduced new terms of service after Meta postponed the originally planned introduction to February 8th. The user agrees that certain data can also be shared with Facebook and Facebook service providers. Whatsapp tries again and again to push through its terms of use. Now the EU Commission has had enough. Whatsapp now has one month to formulate the terms of use in a comprehensible manner and also to explain whether and which user data is used commercially and how will.
What happens if Whatsapp doesn’t comply?
It is unclear what will happen if the EU’s last ultimatum has expired and Whatsapp does not comply. A ban on the messenger service used worldwide is considered unlikely. It is much more likely that the parent company Meta will be fined. Whatsapp had repeatedly tried to urge users to agree to the new terms of use. After all, it could even happen that you can no longer use some features at all, according to the threats. However, this has not happened to date, so you can still use Whatsapp even if you have not agreed to the terms of use.
From October, the Digital Markets Act will apply within the EU. There should be interoperability with messengers, so that you can contact people in Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Apple’s iMessage at the same time with an installed app. The obligation to send messages across platforms should only apply if the smaller players in the market – for example Signal – want such a delivery. But it could be that Whatsapp, for example, tries to worsen the interaction with other messengers in order to bring people back to their app. For example, Whatsapp could allow group chats or voice calls only with other Whatsapp users and only allow cross-platform text chats between two users.
Also worth reading: Whatsapp: Edit function for messages
Ultimatum Collection for Whatsapp:
- The European Union is putting pressure on Whatsapp and giving the company one month to explain itself.
- Specifically, the terms of use should be formulated in a comprehensible manner and Whatsapp must disclose whether and which user data is used commercially and how.
- Since May 2021 there have been new terms of use that allow Whatsapp to share certain data with Facebook.
Source: EU Commission
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