As of: March 30, 2024, 11:32 a.m
By: Julia Hanigk
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Another crucial change is coming to WhatsApp. Anyone who does not agree to the guidelines cannot continue to use the app.
Bremen – Anyone who doesn’t accept will be thrown out of the WhatsApp app. This could soon happen to users. The messenger service has now announced that it will introduce new terms of use and data protection guidelines in Europe, without which the app cannot be used.
According to EU regulations, new data protection regulations for WhatsApp follow
The upcoming update was preceded by a new EU regulation that has been in effect since March 7th. It is called the “Digital Markets Act” and is intended to ensure that competition in the digital services industry is improved and that even small services have more opportunities on the market. There was therefore an update on WhatsApp, which means that users of other messenger services will be able to send messages to WhatsApp accounts and vice versa. Experts then warned of potential data protection risks.
Now there are new guidelines in exactly this area, which users must agree to by April 11th if they do not want their account to be blocked. The terms and conditions should describe in more detail which technical and data protection principles then apply on the platform. In particular, it's about the details of how messages are forwarded to third-party apps.
Throughout all the changes, parent company Meta emphasizes that end-to-end encryption will remain in place for personal messages and calls. This is intended to continue to ensure user safety.
Anyone who does not accept new conditions could soon no longer be able to use WhatsApp. (Symbolic image) © Fabian Sommer/dpa/picture alliance
WhatsApp lowers the minimum age for use
However, this is not the only innovation that WhatsApp is introducing with the new update. There will also be a decisive change with regard to the minimum age. In Europe, the usage permission for the chat app is being reduced. Until now, minors aged 16 and over were officially allowed to interact on WhatsApp. Now the age is lowered to 13 years. This means that the app adapts to existing global regulations in its EU guidelines.
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Recently, Whatsapp introduced another innovation to the app that is intended to make it easier to get in touch with new people. For this purpose, WhatsApp introduced a QR code with which the user can be found and contacted directly. A small lock recently appeared as a symbol for some users.
(jh)