WhatsApp Accounts Not Getting Deleted or Suspended After 8 February: All You Need to Know

WhatsApp accounts of users are not getting suspended or deleted after 8 February 2021, contrary to what is widely being claimed, the platform has clarified. After the latest Privacy Policy amendments have been introduced by the popular free messaging and file sharing app, several users have been condemning the move and have also reportedly switched over to other apps such as Telegram and Signal.

However, WhatsApp has now clarified that they were still working on countering any confusion by communicating directly with its users, and has also reiterated that no one will have their account suspended or deleted on 8 February. Furthermore, the company has also decided to move back its business plans until after May 2021 to give users more time to review and understand the latest terms.

“We're also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” says the Facebook-owned platform in its latest blog while adding that they were firm on defending the end-to-end encryption technology “now and in the future”.

The company has also explained that the latest update allows users to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how data is collected and used. “While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and it’s important people are aware of these services. This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook,” adds WhatsApp in the statement.

The company maintains that the latest Privacy Policy enables users with the following business-related options:

• Enabling customer service through the platform in terms of chatting with business or asking questions.
• Personalised ads for users based on the ads they click on Facebook on Instagram, and helping users chatting with those business owners through a dedicated WhatsApp icon.
• Some businesses with a shop on Facebook or Instagram can also have shops on their WhatsApp business profile. This will allow users to see a business's products on Facebook and Instagram and shop from it directly through WhatsApp, says the official blog.