WhatsApp recently unsettled its users with an update to terms and conditions, and news about allegedly new settings made the rounds.
Now an insider has announced revelations.
Manlo Park - The blog
WABetaInfo
is known for its expertise on WhatsApp, but who exactly is behind it is not yet known. The creator or creators also operate a well-known Twitter channel and are also represented on Github, Discord and other platforms. In a tweet from May 26th,
WABetaInfo
now
mentions
"something very interesting" about WhatsApp for iOS and Android. "A few members of my Discord server helped me find out," the tweet continued. “I'll be talking about it in an article in the coming days.” - that's how the insider's vague announcement ends. What could it be about?
The only
thing
that is clear is that
WABetaInfo
has been collecting data for this since last year and that it is not something that is still in development.
So it affects an existing feature of WhatsApp.
Users speculate under the post what it could be.
One suspects: "Is it about a cross-platform chat backup option for different platforms?" The insider's resolution is still pending.
After all, the insider is already revealing a little something, but on a completely different topic: On WhatsApp there is now the emoji of the flag of
Refugee Nation.
It is a symbol of solidarity with refugees and is based on the colors of the life jackets.
Using a combination of four existing emojis, users can post the flag in the chat.
📝 WhatsApp Messenger beta for iOS 2.21.110.10: what's new?
WhatsApp is introducing a new emoji: The Refugee Nation Flag, available when you send a specific sequence of emojis! Https: //t.co/QQ3NORRB2f
- WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) May 27, 2021
Whatsapp: What happens if users do not accept the terms and conditions?
Officially, users should agree to WhatsApp's new terms of use by May 15.
What would happen without consent was initially unclear.
But it is becoming apparent that users can still make phone calls or receive and answer messages without consent.
However, the functions gradually disappear, for example they can no longer start a new chat with an unknown contact.
In the long term, customers have to agree if they want to continue using WhatsApp, but the company remains vague about the specific point in time.
Originally, users were supposed to accept the new terms and conditions in February 2021, but the group postponed the deadline by almost three months.
Whatsapp: Are the settings in groups really new?
After the announcement of the new terms of use, consumers were unsettled.
Panicked news made the rounds, warning of new settings in groups on WhatsApp.
Allegedly, the messenger service is said to have "secretly changed" the settings.
The messages warned that the privacy options were set to “Everyone” by default.
A WhatsApp user can therefore be added to a group by anyone - unless the setting is changed manually.
In principle, this is correct, but this information was misleading, as the default setting has been standard since 2019 and has by no means just been changed.
That is what the Terms of Use are really about
Nevertheless, it is worth taking a critical look at the new terms of use. Because the change is not made without reason. WhatsApp wants to monetize the app. This means: With the new terms and conditions, it will be possible in future for companies to communicate directly with WhatsApp users. There is also a note on how the information is stored and managed. However, the end-to-end encryption is still retained, which, according to the company, means that WhatsApp itself cannot read the content of the messages. In return, Facebook continues to receive interesting metadata, such as information on who is writing with whom or how often and when users open the app.According to the data protection regulation in the European Union, however, companies are not allowed to use this information and metadata for advertising.