If you want to continue using WhatsApp, you have to agree to the new terms of use by mid-May.
Time to switch messenger service?
Privacy advocates advise.
Update from January 21st:
users
currently have to agree to the new terms and conditions - otherwise they can
no longer use
the
messenger service
.
Originally you could
agree
to the new
terms of use
and
data protection rules
until February 8th, but now the deadline has been extended to May 15th after criticism.
This time is intended to provide clarification.
Anyone who does not agree by mid-May can no longer use WhatsApp.
As a result, many users have already migrated to alternative services such as Signal *, as
reported by echo24.de
*.
WhatsApp changes data protection rules: that's what data protectionists say about the terms of use
As reported by European consumer protection,
users
should
agree
to the new
terms of use
that
may pass on certain data to other Facebook groups.
This concerns, for example, the operating system of the smartphone, the mobile phone number or when you were last logged in.
But: Little should change for European users, as they are protected by the EU-wide
General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR).
The regulation states that consumers must actively consent before personal data can be stored or disclosed.
However, the
GDPR
also provides that
in certain cases
data
may be collected without consent - in the case of "legitimate interests" such as in the fight against cyber crime, for example.
The
messenger service WhatsApp
explains that it has such a legitimate interest in making its services more secure and being able to prosecute fraudsters.
But can you check that?
"Whether WhatsApp uses the data exclusively for this purpose and to what extent it complies with the GDPR can hardly be proven," says the
European Consumer Center Germany
(EVZ).
WhatsApp update: switch messenger?
Privacy advocates advise
Conclusion of the
WhatsApp update
: change
messenger service
?
Many
users
are currently asking this question
.
In general, Karolina Wojtal, head of the EVZ Germany, points out: “There is no free service, we always pay in some form, often with our
data
.” Protecting your own privacy begins with the choice of messenger.
Wojtal advises questioning the choice of messenger.
The
European Consumer Center Germany
also recommends
checking your
own
data protection settings
.
Certain
WhatsApp functions
- for example whether the display shows when you were last online - can be switched off manually.
The
data protectionists also
advise you to regularly clear your smartphone and
delete
apps
that are
no longer used
.
Even in an inactive state it can happen that they collect and pass on data in the background.
App |
|
developer |
Whatsapp Inc./Facebook Inc. |
Publishing year |
2009 |
category |
Instant messaging |
platform |
Android, iOS. KaiOS |
No more WhatsApp?
So you can continue to use the messenger
First report from January 12th:
The
WhatsApp messenger service
can now be found on most smartphones worldwide.
After all, WhatsApp is one of the most downloaded
apps of
all time.
The interest is correspondingly great if something changes in the
messenger service from Facebook
in San Francisco.
As
reported by echo24.de
*, this will be the case twice in the coming weeks!
However, for various reasons.
While one change
affects
all
WhatsApp users
, the other change is only relevant for very few messenger users.
+
If you want to continue using WhatsApp, you have to agree to the new terms of use.
© Fabian Sommer / dpa / dpa-mag
WhatsApp: Messenger service pulls the plug
As in the past *,
support for WhatsApp is
threatened for some devices
.
As
chip.de
reports, numerous users can then no longer use the popular service.
The reason for this is simple: With older
smartphones
,
can
no longer close possible security gaps,
making
the program more vulnerable to hacker attacks.
By February at the latest,
WhatsApp users
with older operating systems will have problems.
In order to be able to continue using the messenger, at least Android 4.0.3 or iOS 9 is required.
However, since iPhones are usually updated much faster and longer, iOS 9, released in 2015, hardly plays a role anymore.
WhatsApp: Consequences for smartphone users from Google and Apple
With Android 4.03,
supports
a significantly older version of the Google operating system than that of Apple.
Android 4.03 appeared nine years ago.
Nevertheless, according to
chip.de
, the number of users with older versions of Android
should be
limited.
Our privacy policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family.
Learn more about how we protect your privacy as well as what we do NOT share with Facebook here: https://t.co/VzAnxFR7NQ
- WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) January 12, 2021
For
users of
older Google and Apple operating systems, this has the following consequences: You can no longer create a new account, and existing
WhatsApp accounts
can no longer be
verified again
.
In addition, some functions may no longer be used in the future, as systems are no longer developed for these.
WhatsApp: update or new smartphone?
That's what the experts say!
There is one exception, however:
WhatsApp messages
can still be
received
on devices with older versions of Android and iOS
.
Under certain circumstances, however, these can no longer be displayed, in which case the experts at
chip.de
recommend
checking whether there is an update or buying a new
smartphone
with a current operating system.
This is not only
useful
because of the
WhatsApp shutdown
: The outdated operating systems also represent a security risk. As with
, hackers can exploit known vulnerabilities and attack them in a targeted manner.
WhatsApp: Other changes to the messenger service
But that's not the only thing that is
changing
in the popular
messenger service from Facebook
.
As
reported by
hna.de
, WhatsApp has been informing its users about serious changes * to the data protection guidelines and the terms of use for a few days.
Anyone who does not accept this by February 8th will no longer be able to use the service in the future.
Anyone who
accepts
the new data protection guidelines or
WhatsApp's
terms of use
allows the messenger service to exchange and process data within the
Facebook group of companies
.
The new data protection guidelines state:
As part of the Facebook companies, WhatsApp receives information from the Facebook companies and also shares information with them.
We can use the information we receive from you and you can use the information we share with you to operate, provide, improve, understand, individualize, support and market our services or their offers, including products from Facebook companies.
Excerpt from the amended data protection guidelines of WhatsApp
WhatsApp: Users have to accept changes or delete the messenger service
According to the
Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp,
the data exchange should
improve the service.
As hna.de further reports with reference to macerkopf.de, it cannot be ruled out that the
changes will
also be used for monetization within the
Facebook group
.
As with similarly serious changes in the past, the outcry among
users of
the
messenger service is
great
this time too
.
On Twitter, Elon Musk and Edward Snowden have already called on people to turn their backs on WhatsApp and switch to Signal *.
Numerous
users
followed this call and made sure that the messenger was temporarily overloaded.
*
echo24.de, merkur.de and hna.de are part of the Ippen-Digital network
List of rubric lists: © Fabian Sommer / dpa / dpa-mag