Since then, several users have decided they won’t agree to the new terms. Unfortunately, every decision the company makes has consequences. Reporting from the World of Buzz report, Tuesday (23/2/2021), WhatsApp users who choose not to accept the updated application terms and conditions by the May 15 deadline will not be able to send or receive messages until they agree to do so. Once the messaging service is deactivated, their account will be made “inactive” and can be deleted after 120 days. On the other hand, according to TechCrunch report, WhatsApp will ‘slowly ask’ its users to comply with the requirements to enjoy the full functionality of WhatsApp .’ If they still refuse to agree to the terms, they can still receive calls and notifications but only for a few weeks before the functionality is no longer accessible. WhatsApp initially announced a controversial update in January 2021. Unsurprisingly, the update was met with reactions from many users who thought that the messaging app would share data with Facebook, its parent company. While they later clarified that the purpose of the update is to allow tracking of payments made for businesses, users still feel uncomfortable. The app already shares each user’s IP address and purchases made in the app with Facebook, but the new privacy policy covers information such as battery level information, IP address, browser information, mobile network, phone number and internet service provider, as explained by Independent. Users who are not ready to accept the risk of transferring their communications to another messaging portal. Hence, apps like Telegram and Signal saw a sudden spike in demand as people started looking for alternatives.
