Important: WhatsApp Reviews Its Privacy Policy in Europe

To whom it may concern, to who uses WhatsApp – that is, almost to everybody. Yesterday, November 22, WhatsApp offered its users renewed terms and conditions. Of course, it has been stimulated by the unpreceded €225M fine it has to pay after violating European data protection regulations.

What changed in the updated policy? First of all, there is a more detailed explanation of the way WhatsApp uses its users’ data. Users learn more about what data is read from their devices, where it is stored when it is deleted (and when not), and so on. It also gives more information about its cross-border data transfers, how they happen, and why they are necessary.

For most users, it’s more text to scroll down to blindly tap “Agree”, but for many, it does matter. In this case, they won’t have to do anything at all with this new text. WhatsApp will just send them a message with a link to the updated policy. If a user does not want to even read it, they don’t have to. That changes nothing in the way it is used. It’s all about transparency. If you wonder what was the reason for such an enormous fine, the answer is the same: WhatsApp’s policy hadn’t been transparent enough to comply with the EU norms. Now it is.

And if you are surprised and worried about the message that suddenly appears on your screen, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Everything is already done by the company that just has to inform you better. It’s your right to stay unaware if you wish (though we wouldn’t recommend abusing it). But it’s your right to stay aware as well, which WhatsApp failed to grant and now it fixes that.

What do you think about the way messengers and social media use your data? Does it matter to you at all? Which usage do you consider reasonable, and when does it go beyond that? Do Meta projects often cross that line? Let’s talk about this hot subject in our comments below.