WhatsApp promises to be more transparent about terms of use in Europe

WhatsApp, which is subsidized by Meta, violated European Commission laws after failing to clarify some changes to its privacy policies implemented in 2021. But, The European bloc announced this Monday (6) that the app has agreed to more clearly explain policy changes to guarantee the rights of users residing in Europe..

In 2021, WhatsApp released an update that required all users to accept it in order to continue using the app, but consumers and political organizations in Europe disliked the lack of information about the changes.

In this way, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) and the European Network of Consumer Authorities filed a complaint with the European Commission, requesting clarification about the confusing term of service sent to users.

After the change, many users decided to switch to other messaging apps like Telegram and Signal. In any case, the Commission claims that Whatsapp has confirmed that the data is not used for commercial purposes and is not shared with any other companies, including Meta’s other subsidiaries.

“Following dialogue with EU consumer protection officials and the European Commission (CPC network), WhatsApp has committed to be more transparent about changes to its terms of service. In addition, the company will make it easier for users to reject updates when they disagree with them, and will make it clear that such refusal results in the user no longer being able to use WhatsApp services. Commission.

WhatsApp Terms of Service

According to the statement, WhatsApp has to clarify all changes made to its privacy policies and how they affect the rights of users using the application. Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice of the European Union, says the user has the right to understand the details of the policies to decide whether to continue accessing the messaging app.

WhatsApp is committed to announcing future changes; prominently includes the possibility of rejecting and accepting the terms of service; Allow deferral of notifications about policy updates and do not send duplicate notifications.