Greater transparency and above all greater attention to the personal data of users. Whatsapp undertakes to review its policy and comply with the rules of the European Union. The well-known and popular instant messaging application for smartphones undertakes to be more consumer-friendly, starting with the use of their information. These, in particular, will not be shared for advertising purposes with third parties or other Meta companies, including Facebook. This is the main innovation promised by the operator, but not the only one.
At the end of a discussion with the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC), the body that brings together all the responsible authorities of the EU Member States, the US company also decided to review the policy on the modifications of the terms of service. In particular, it undertakes to ensure that notifications informing about updates can be “ignored” or that the review of updates can be “delayed”. Furthermore, the sending of recurring notifications will be eliminated, so as to limit the intrusion into the device and into the person’s life.
Another new element is the possibility of refusing the updated terms of service, without necessarily involving the interruption of the use of the messaging service. The company, in making it easier to refuse updates when users disagree, will explain “clearly” when this refusal leads the user to no longer be able to use WhatsApp services.
These commitments will allow the operator to fully comply with the new European Union law on digital services (DSA). This, among other things, provides for the obligation to have clear terms and conditions, explaining in an immediate and simple way when accounts and exchanged contents may be subject to restrictions. The DSA also complements and updates rules such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring that no regulatory gaps remain to allow platforms to manipulate users.
The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network will take care of WhatsApp’s commitments, through continuous monitoring activities and the possibility, where necessary, to impose fines for non-compliance with the commitments undertaken and compliance with the twelve-star regulatory framework.