WaBetaInfo has revealed that Facebook plans to make this measure effective in the next update of the app for Android.
Although it is not yet clear how they will do it, everything seems to indicate that those responsible for WhatsApp will begin to close the accounts of those users who do not meet the age requirements by direct accusation from third parties .
This means that anyone who knows a minor who uses the application can report it to a specific email account so that WhatsApp can analyze the information and.
In 2018, the company anticipated the application of the European GDPR by australia phone number this minimum age in its terms of use. In this way, it protected itself from the European Union bodies and transferred the responsibility to the user. This prohibition is visible to any user in the FAQ section of the application on Android, where you can read:
“If you are located in a country in the European Economic Area (including the European Union) or any other country or territory within it (collectively, the European Region), you must be at least 16 years of age (or older if required by law in your country) to register and use WhatsApp.”
However, it is not so easy to report a minor, and it cannot be done anonymously either: Facebook requires parents to report their own children . To do so, they are required to provide documents proving not only paternity, but also ownership of the line. The question is whether Facebook simply wants to comply with data protection regulations without any real interest in enforcing them.