WhatsApp, what happens on May 15 if the app is not updated?
Will I be able to use WhatsApp after May 15th if we don't accept the terms? The in-depth study by Carlo Terzano
How many times have we stumbled upon fake news and chain letters according to which WhatsApp would soon become paid or would have excluded us if we had not conveyed the message with the atrocious news (and the key to defusing it) to all contacts of the address book? It is the reason why few have taken seriously the rumors that, without the latest update , from next May 15th we will no longer be able to use WhatsApp. We are talking about the one, criticized by many, which will allow, at least in the US, Mark Zuckerberg to merge the Wapp database into a common file, from which the other companies of the group can also draw: Facebook and Instagram. May 15 is now upon us. What happens if it doesn't update? And is our privacy really in danger?
DATA IN DANGER? THE CONFUSION OF THE EXPERTS
If there was news that in recent months has managed to establish itself despite the communications hood on the pandemic, becoming incredibly viral, it was in fact that relating to the February update of WhatsApp, an update that – some have warned – will force the user of the most popular messaging program in the world to accept new conditions halter to the detriment of their privacy: this was enough to push at least 25 million users to abandon WhatsApp in favor of Telegram and an unspecified number to pour into Signal . It is not even entirely clear whether something will change also for the privacy of us Europeans, who in theory would be more protected by EU regulations than Americans: on this point the IT and law experts have said everything and its opposite.
WHAT THE GUARANTOR SAID
In doubt at the beginning of the year, the Privacy Guarantor also moved: "The message with which Whatsapp warned its users of the updates that will be made, from February 8, in the terms of service – in particular regarding the sharing of data with other companies of the group – and the same information on the treatment that will be made of their personal data, are unclear and intelligible and must be carefully evaluated in light of the privacy regulations. For this reason, the Guarantor for the protection of personal data has brought the matter to the attention of the Edpb, the Board that brings together the European privacy authorities. The Guarantor believes that from the terms of service and from the new information it is not possible for users to understand what changes have been introduced, nor to clearly understand which data processing will actually be carried out by the messaging service after 8 February. This information does not therefore appear to be suitable for allowing Whatsapp users to express a free and aware will. In any case, the Guarantor reserves the right to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to protect Italian users and enforce the rules on the protection of personal data ".
THE VERSION OF THE APP
Regarding the app, which at a communicative level managed the transition very badly (so much so that it suffered an incredible haemorrhage from users that led it to postpone the novel from February to mid-May) tries to reassure: " 'update of the information does NOT in any way affect the privacy of messages you exchange with friends and family. The changes concern the exchange of messages with companies, a completely optional service, and offer greater transparency on how we collect and use data ”.
WHATSAPP, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MAY 15th?
But now we come to the question of questions: what will happen if you have not updated WhatsApp after May 15th? As for the discourse on privacy, no one is clear: on the Net there are very different allegations in terms of alarmism, scope and content. So we went to see what the official website says: “If you do not accept the terms by this date, WhatsApp will not delete your account – a note reads – however, you will not have all the application features available until you accept. For a short period of time, you will still be able to receive calls and notifications, but you will not be able to read or send messages from the application ”.
In short, it seems that, after a thousand chains and fake news, this time WhatsApp will actually stop working for all those who do not want to proceed with the update, remaining usable (but only for a 'short period of time') calls and notifications, while the main function of sending messages will be blocked (including voice notes). There are two options: proceed by accepting the terms (which can be accepted at any time) or cancel your account and migrate to other rival programs, from Telegram to Signal, as millions of users have already done all over the world.
"By May 15, you can export your chat history to Android or iPhone and download your account report – explains Whatsapp – if you want to delete your account on Android, iPhone or KaiOS, we invite you to think about it because this action is not reversible. , as it involves deleting your message history, deleting your WhatsApp backups and removing you from all your WhatsApp groups ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/whatsapp-cosa-succede-il-15-maggio-se-non-si-aggiorna-lapp/ on Thu, 13 May 2021 10:31:38 +0000.