"WhatsApp committed to being more transparent on changes to its terms of service. Moreover, the company will make it easier for users to reject updates when they disagree with them, and will clearly explain when such rejection leads the user to no longer be able to use WhatsApp's services," the European Commission said in a press release dated March 6. WhatsApp also confirmed that "users' personal data are not shared with third-parties or other Meta companies—including Facebook—for advertising purposes," the Commission added. WhatsApp's commitments: For any policy updates in the future, WhatsApp will: Explanation: "explain what changes it intends to make to the users' contracts and how they could affect their rights" Option to reject: "include the possibility to reject updated terms of service as prominently as the possibility to accept them" No pesky notifications: "ensure that the notifications informing about the updates can be dismissed or the review of the updates can be delayed, as well as respect users' choices and refrain from sending recurring notifications" "I welcome WhatsApp's commitments to changing its practices to comply with EU rules, actively informing users of any changes to their contract, and respecting their choices instead of asking them each time they open the app. Consumers have a right to understand what they agree to and what that choice entails concretely, so that they can decide whether they want to continue using the platform." — Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders Why does this matter: This commitment from WhatsApp finally puts to rest (at least in…
