WhatsApp accounts to be deleted after May 15? This is what company has to say

WhatsApp privacy update: The Facebook-owned messaging app had faced severe backlash for the controversial privacy update.

WhatsApp has scrapped the deadline for users to accept its privacy policy update and said not accepting the terms will not lead to deletion of accounts. The deadline for accepting the update was May 15.

The Facebook-owned messaging app had faced severe backlash for the controversial privacy update.

In January this year, WhatsApp had informed users about the changes in its terms of service and public policy through an in-app notification. Users were initially given time till February 8 to agree to the new terms in order to continue using the platform.

A WhatsApp spokesperson told a leading news agency that no accounts will be deleted on May 15 for not accepting the policy update.

"No accounts will be deleted on May 15 because of this update and no one in India will lose functionality of WhatsApp either. We will follow up with reminders to people over the next several weeks," the spokesperson said in an emailed response to a query on Friday.

Millions of Indian users received an in-app notification from WhatsApp as part of an upcoming global roll-out for over 2 billion users, asking them to either accept the changes in its Terms of Service and privacy policy by February 8 or their accounts will be deleted. The deadline was then extended to May 15.

The in-app notification did not elicit much details but clicking on the links clearly mentioned the key changes in how WhatsApp will collect and process users' information going forward, and the partnership with Facebook, its parent company, as part of a larger unification drive between the family of apps.

"WhatsApp must receive or collect some information to operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support, and market our Services, including when you install, access, or use our Services," the updated policy read.

"Businesses you interact with using our Services may provide us with information about their interactions with you. We require each of these businesses to act in accordance with applicable law when providing any information to us," it further read.