WhatsApp, the world’s largest instant messaging platform, had earlier come up with an announcement saying that anybody who did not adhere to its privacy policies would lose access to the instant messaging service.
However, the company now has gone back and reversed its decision. It has released a statement on its official website saying that no one would lose access to the app or have their accounts deleted.
The majority of the users who have seen the update have accepted it, says WhatsApp. WhatsApp would continue to display a notification in the app which would provide more information and details regarding this update.
This notification would also ask its users to review the update and share their consent on the same. WhatsApp goes on to claim that this notification would not be a permanent feature and would be removed in due time.
WhatsApp has reiterated and stressed several times that not accepting the update will not result in your account being deleted.WhatsApp also states that those who have not yet accepted the updates may do so from within the app as well.
WhatsApp was previously received a lot of flak for its inflexibility and was believed to be asserting its dominance on its users. Though updates are a normal feature of the life cycle of an app, usually they are not thrust upon its users.
It is a welcome change to see that WhatsApp has been more considerate and has not resorted to blocking people from using its instant messaging platform for refusing to comply with its terms and conditions.
However, it does raise the question, is this backtracking by WhatsApp just temporary or permanent? Would users be held under the gun once again? Only time will tell.
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