WhatsApp caves in: Won't limit features if you reject privacy changes | Hacker News Reader

WhatsApp caves in: Won't limit features if you reject privacy changes

bleepingcomputer.com

47 pointskarlzt21 comments

Maybe this was the plan all along? Tell everyone they need to accept or the app will stop working.. then when backlash inevitably hits hard they can backtrack. But by now 99% have already accepted. So: Can I change my decision then?

My thoughts exactly. Surely they won't let you reverse that would be just silly.

I already deleted my account. But I suspect that this group is small enough that it is still a net win.

Nice, I haven't accepted them, but it would be nice it they stopped asking every time I open the app.

Do they have a choice? When your product is eyeballs can you afford to turn them away. This is similar to Facebook's empty threat to charge Apple users. What a laugh. People will just switch to the next free thing. It isn't like someone else cannot offer the the exact same experience. All their real effort is in data mining and users don't give a shit about that.

I've already removed the app, and FB's communications avoid the topic of how I reinstall without accepting the "new" a.k.a current terms. So AFAIK I can't delete my account and plenty of people won't be able to accept this new deal of theirs.

I would think a lot of people were as careless about it as me and a lot of WhatsApp users are starting to think they are being intentionally ghosted by a few contacts.

Sidenote regarding whatsapps way to make users behave in their intended way:

Today whatsapp really annoyingly started reminding me that my old version will not be supported starting tomorrow. The popup appeared 20 times this morning already. So I updated to the next version (not the current one), as this has nothing to do with the 'feared' privacy changes. Now, whatsapp gives me full 9 days to update again, before it wont work anymore.

Are you talking about the mobile app? You should always update. There have been fixes for (pretty bad) security issues in the past [1].

[1] https://www.whatsapp.com/security/advisories/archive/

Push the public as far as they can go, until there's backlash then give in just a little to appease the masses. Pathetic

If you review WhatsApp at the Apple App store under Data Private, you can’t help but think that this app is still a crippleware.

I did accept them, but I just sent them a request to have me reject them. I am sure they will respect my newest decision.

unfortunately, it's hard to tell if you're being sarcastic

I sniff a second order sarcasm in your "unfortunately".

I had to analyze whether or not this overall exchange was a fortunate one. It was! Bravo.

it's weird, i'm pretty sure i didn't accept the changes, but i don't see the app asking me about it anywhere.

Does it mean i have accepted them and don't remember it, or could the behavior be different in Europe ?

I have not yet accepted the changes and it gives me a pop-up daily nagging me to. If you're not getting that you may have accepted them at some stage.

Europe does not have these changes because of the GDPR.

I'm in Europe with a European number and the app asks me about once a day to accept the new terms

Same. I think the difference between EU/Non-EU in the begining was - not accepting in EU won't cripple the functionality because of the GDPR.

I’m in Uk (formerly EU) and it keeps nagging me too. I think we are still subject to GDPR

Too late.

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