WhatsApp confirms this: it raises the minimum age of use to 16 years in the EU

Finally, WhatsApp has confirmed what was expected. The minimum age for use throughout Europe is from the current 13 years to 16 years , according to the update of their privacy policies and conditions of service in the merco of the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) of the European Union (EU), next May 25.

In this way, minors of that age will not be able to use the aforementioned social network, thus adapting to the new regulations just as Facebook and Instagram have done, signatures of the same group. As reported by WhatsApp in its official blog, the update does not seek to ask permission to obtain more personal information from its users, but simply want to "explain" how they use and protect "limited information" they have on their customers.

In relation to the European continent, WhatsApp has chosen to establish an entity within the EU to provide its services and adhere to the new transparency system that will enter into force on May 25. From the 'app' they assure that they are not sharing information of their users with Facebook to improve the experience in the social network, although it is not ruled out that in the future it may become a reality , since they indicate a predisposition to "work more closely with other Facebook companies. "

In the statement it is revealed that information is shared between WhatsApp and Facebook when it comes to users who send unwanted messages, such as 'spam' or inappropriate content, so that both platforms can take actions together. In addition, the company says that WhatsApp data is protected by end-to-end encryption, so that even the company can not access them. .

Thus, in the coming weeks, all users will have the option to download and view the information that is collected about them. The function will be available in the latest version of the 'app'. An option developed with the aim of making the social network more transparent, since in recent months the alarms about the possible leaks of data on Facebook and its network of subsidiaries have caused a scandal.

In fact, the largest social network in the world announced Monday that it has withdrawn one million contents related to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda during the first three months of this year, twice as many as in 2017. The majority of the extremist content has been withdrawn , while other materials now present warning information about their content, as explained by Facebook in a statement.