Īhead of May 15, WhatsApp has taken a swipe at Telegram, the biggest winner from January’s backlash. Unfortunately for WhatsApp, the comparisons with rivals-other than Facebook Messenger, unsurprisingly-suggest it’s not just “some limited data,” as you can see in the chart below, published on Forbes back in January. “We believe people are looking for apps to be both reliable and safe, even if that requires WhatsApp having some limited data.” “Other apps say they’re better because they know even less information than WhatsApp,” says WhatsApp. And as the date draws near, you can assume that the warnings to accept the new terms will become ever more urgent. There will likely be a new look and feel to your app-you’ll see messages coming in but you won’t be able to read them or reply to them or send anything new.

It’s unclear what comprises a “short time,” and whether there will be a guillotine on May 15, immediately blocking access to messages. So, what happens if you don’t accept new terms by May 15? WhatsApp says it won’t delete your account, despite reports suggesting otherwise, “however, you won't have full functionality of WhatsApp until you accept for a short time, you'll be able to receive calls and notifications, but won't be able to read or send messages.” And many users are now wary, with tens of millions having reportedly switched to alternatives and a risk that many more may now follow. In combination with WhatsApp’s privacy label, which was starkly different to its key rivals, the update has shone an awkward light on the world’s leading data harvester owning the world’s leading secure messenger. That might be the reality, but the perception is much worse.

Your normal messages remain secure, and Facebook isn’t getting much more out of WhatsApp data-wise than it had before. If you choose to chat with businesses over WhatsApp, then you’ll be doing so under different terms than with your personal contacts. In reality, the risks around the update itself have been overblown.

Who owns whatsapp news