January was quite a month for WhatsApp. Facebook’s proprietary messaging service has come under public scrutiny for not allowing users to opt out of receiving its intrusive policy changes. In an attempt to soften the coup, he even took out front-page newspaper ads to clarify what data he didn’t have access to. A multitude of less than convinced users have still migrated to alternative services like Signal and Telegram. WhatsApp has not stopped trying yet, and is working on a new terms of service prompt that hammers the same message it has been sending for some time.
This development was detected by the staff of WABetaInfo in the latest beta version of Android, version 2.21.4.13. Although the alert is not yet active, they were able to explore the app to take a look at it.
The new prompt makes it simple – with the help of graphics – to understand what the terms of service are about. He clarifies that the policy does not affect the privacy of a user’s personal conversations and that WhatsApp will not be able to snoop, text messages or calls. The change concerns only chats with “clearly identified” and optional companies. For those who wish to read more, there are built-in links that are likely to point to supporting documents.
If you’ve accepted the terms once, you probably won’t see this new prompt. But if you have not yet abandoned the ship and accepted the terms before, expect this notice to appear very soon.
