Facebook disabled users' accounts for violating WhatsApp TOS 3 years ago

33 points by hubail 11y ago ↗ HN

I don't use my FB account anymore and it was disabled 3 weeks ago, it was strange since generally no use = no abuse.

Then my friend's account was also disabled, we both released the inner workings of WA protocol along with API PoC a while ago (https://github.com/venomous0x/WhatsAPI) and it got popular, so we suspected that as the only relevant common thing. Today, Tarek (https://twitter.com/tgalal/status/583508825329819648) who also built unofficial sort of WA clients, confirmed it's the WhatsApp thing.

This makes me think of the rationale of: 1) Disabling someone's account for allegedly violating another service's terms. 2) Three years ago. 3) At time where WhatsApp was an independent company. 4) And whether this practise will expand to Instagram? Parse? future acquisitions?

2 comments

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graghav 11y ago ↗

WhatsApp hasn't even updated their TOS in their site since 2012 and moreover Facebook can disable account only if someone "infringe other people's intellectual property rights" inside FB. This makes me wonder what made it in the first place to allow FB disable account for violating WhatsApp terms.

mcintyre1994 11y ago ↗

Are you saying Facebook don't have a term in their ToCs equivalent to "Facebook reserves the right to stop service or remove data for any or no reason at any time without any notice"?

Edit: they do.

https://m.facebook.com/legal/terms section 4 (termination):

> If you violate the letter or spirit of this Statement, or otherwise create risk or possible legal exposure for us, we can stop providing all or part of Facebook to you.