News

WhatsApp Decides Not To Limit Users Who Don’t Accept Its New Privacy Policy

It seems that the backlash has been strong enough to make executives at Facebook reconsider their decisions because the latest announcement from the company contradicts the previous one.

Published

4 months ago

June 4, 2021

Joanna

whatsapp decides not to limit users who don't accept its new privacy policy

This year in February, Facebook-owned WhatsApp stated in an FAQ on its website that users who didn’t accept its new privacy policy by May 15^th would lose access to certain features, such as the ability to send or read messages from the app.

The announcement sparked a wave of protests on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, with some users threatening to leave the messaging and voice-over-IP service app for more privacy-oriented alternatives, such as Signal, Telegram, or Threema.

It seems that the backlash has been strong enough to make executives at Facebook reconsider their decisions because the latest announcement from the company contradicts the previous one.

“Given recent discussions with various authorities and privacy experts, we want to make clear that we will not limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works for those who have not yet accepted the update,” said a WhatsApp spokesperson in a statement to The Verge.

WhatsApp

One reason why the new policy caused so much outrage was that many WhatsApp users believed that they would be required to share their phone numbers and other sensitive information with various third parties.

In reality, the policy update affects mainly businesses using the platform to sell their goods and services using the messaging app, allowing them to see what you’re saying and use this information for their own marketing purposes.

“We will continue to remind users from time to time and let them accept the update, including when they choose to use relevant optional features like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook,” the WhatsApp spokesperson added.

The entire rollout of the policy update has been mishandled, to say the least, with WhatsApp seemingly not fully realizing how much more security and privacy-oriented have its users become since the messaging app started sharing user data with Facebook in 2016.

News

Amazon Partners With Music Streaming Service Anghami

Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus.

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2021

Joanna

amazon has partnered with music streaming service anghami

Amazon’s Prime subscription service offers an excellent value proposition because it includes not only free shipping but also access to a huge library of songs, among other things. Unfortunately for music lovers in the MENA region, the Amazon Prime music library includes mostly songs from English-speaking countries. But that’s about to change soon because Amazon has partnered with Anghami, the first legal music streaming platform and digital distribution company in the Arab world.

As a result of the new partnership, Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus, a premium subscription service that offers an unlimited access to Anghami’s large content catalog and unlocks extra features such as the ability to play songs offline, display lyrics, and enjoy music in high quality.

amazon prime anghami plus offer

“This collaboration with Anghami is a perfect example of how we work together with leading local brands to innovate on members’ behalf, offering them the best experience possible,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa. “We’re excited to see Prime members in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE enjoy Anghami Plus and all it has to offer, alongside other shopping, savings and entertainment benefits already included in their membership”.

The partnership with Amazon is guaranteed to help Anghami realize its global ambitions and compete with other music streaming services, most notably Spotify and Deezer.

Also Read: Truecaller Wants To Raise Over $100 Million In Stockholm IPO

Several months ago, Anghami entered into a merger agreement with publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Vistas Media Acquisition Company Inc. The goal is to list Anghami on the New York NASDAQ exchange, giving it access to global growth capital.

Currently, Anghami provides its users access to more than 57 million Arabic and international songs, as well as podcasts and live radio. Amazon Prime subscribers who decide to keep using Anghami can get an additional 50% discount for the next six months.