WhatsApp is back again with another update, where it will be asking your age. News comes in that WhatsApp will soon start asking for your date of birth before you are able to access the messaging app.
It looks like WhatsApp is complying with legal norms of different countries, something it has recently adopted in the EU region where messages can be interoperable, and people can send chats from WhatsApp to Telegram or Signal. Reportedly, initially the feature is being built into the Android version for development. The beta update is expected to come in the next few weeks.
WhatsApp wants to know your age!
Now as you create a WhatsApp account,it will show a pop-up box asking ‘When were you born.’ It seems that most of the states in the US have set 15 years as the age for using these digital services under the latest legal norms. So, make sure that you enter the right age, because that data cannot be revised or changed again.
Meta is getting WhatsApp ready for these changes. WABetaInfo reports explained that with the recent beta version for Android (v.2.24.12.25) the app discovered code that is meant to make WhatsApp ask you for your birth year.
However, the prompt also warns that your birth year cannot be changed later. So, be careful what date you put as you will need it to provide it to continue using WhatsApp.
More updates!
It seems that Meta will not be showing your birth year within WhatsApp, which means that the details will not be open to others. This prompt seems to only be for compliance with local laws and nothing else.
Having said that, WhatsApp also requires a robust mechanism in the first place to check for the details fed by you without compromising your privacy.
Earlier the US has already been using this feature of asking the age of the users. This was done to protect minor or underaged users from falling prey to cybercrime or frauds. However, before rolling it on a full fledged thing, it is important for the Meta-owned platform to adhere to local regulations.
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