Your WhatsApp is public now and there's nothing you can do about it

Popular messaging app WhatsApp has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and made it mandatory for its users to accept the new terms. The users may be required to delete their account, if they do not accept them.

WhatsApp will put into effect the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on February 8.

WhatsApp users are required to accept the terms and policies by then. These updates are applicable to all the services provided WhatsApp, unless it is specified that it is not the case.

WhatsApp keeps a lot of information under the Automatically Collected Information header. It further divides it into four sub-heads, which are Location Information, Device and Connection Information, Usage and Log Information, and Cookies. It implies that the activities of the users related to them are under the watch of the company.

"We collect information about your activity on our Services, like service-related, diagnostic, and performance information. This includes information about your activity (including how you use our Services, your Services settings, how you interact with others using our Services (including when you interact with a business), and the time, frequency, and duration of your activities and interactions), log files, and diagnostic, crash, website, and performance logs and reports," WhatsApp explained.

It also keeps the information related to messages, calls, groups, status, profile photo, among other things.

"This also includes information about when you registered to use our Services; the features you use like our messaging, calling, Status, groups (including group name, group picture, group description), payments or business features; profile photo, "about" information; whether you are online, when you last used our Services (your "last seen"); and when you last updated your "about" information," WhatsApp said.

Based on the permission of the users for using location-related features, WhatsApp collects and uses precise location information from the device as well.

The messaging app said that it collects information about the device and connection when people make use of its services.

"This includes information such as hardware model, operating system information, battery level, signal strength, app version, browser information, mobile network, connection information (including phone number, mobile operator or ISP), language and time zone, IP address, device operations information, and identifiers (including identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account)," WhatsApp said.