Following a public statement from the Brazilian Steering Committee (CGI.br) on privacy rights, WhatsApp said it will not exclude users refusing to accept the latest update to the firm’s new terms of service.
Earlier this month, CGI.br released a statement with a series of recommendations to the messaging app, taking into consideration Brazil’s local data protection regulations, enforced in September 2020. The Steering Committee also noted that it held a series of discussions with the messaging app and Brazilian authorities including the antitrust watchdog Cade and the National Data Protection Agency to discuss the matter.
The statement stressed that the changes brought forward in WhatApp’s latest update “raise fundamental questions about users’ right to privacy and data protection, as well as issues of transparency and adherence to the laws enforced in the country.” The new privacy policy, introduced in May, changes how the app partners with Facebook to “offer integrations”, with businesses able use Facebook services to manage WhatsApp chats.
Moreover, the Steering Committee also urged WhatsApp to “take urgent measures to increase the transparency mechanisms of its services with regard to compliance with Brazilian legislation”, and also “offer an option that allows users to revoke acceptance of the new terms” as well as ensuring “the continuity of services, also to users who rejected, in the 2016 privacy policy, the sharing of their data with the Facebook-owned companies.”
In response to the requests from CGI.br, WhatsApp said in a statement that “no user will have their account deleted or will lose access to the app’s features because of this update”.
The company also noted the new rules do not not affect, “in any way”, the privacy of messages exchanged between users. It added that it is “important to reinforce that the update of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy does not expand WhatsApp’s ability to share data with Facebook”.
Another recommendation from the Steering Committee is that WhatsApp refrains from constantly reminding users to accept the new terms. The messaging app did not commit to that, but said it “has spent the last few months providing more information about this update to its users and has been in close contact with the competent authorities to provide all necessary clarifications.”