WhatApp is forcing users to agree to sharing information with Facebook if they want to keep using the service.
The company warns users in a pop-up notice that they “need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp” – or delete their accounts.
But Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, said European and UK users would not see the same data-sharing changes, although they will need to accept new terms.
The exception has been welcomed by some as a victory for EU privacy regulators.
The deadline in both regions to accept the change is 8 February, after which “you’ll need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp”, the company said in the pop-up alert to users.
A section if the international privacy policy has been removed, which previously let people opt out of sharing personal information with Facebook for the first 30 days after the changes went live.
Later on Thursday, Facebook issued a statement saying that there would be no changes in the “European region” – which covers the EU, EEA, and the post-Brexit UK.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, it is still the case that WhatsApp does not share European region WhatsApp user data with Facebook for the purpose of Facebook using this data to improve its products or advertisements,” said a spokesperson.
