WhatsApp has enforced a major change which has left millions of users in Britain banned from using the chat app.

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular chat app, with over 1.5billion people using its services each and every month across the globe.

The popularity of the chat app was underlined by the huge amount of messages sent on its record breaking day on New Year’s Eve 2017.

On that day 75billion messages were sent including 13billion photos and five billion videos - despite a major outage.

But now millions of people that enjoy WhatsApp’s services will be unable to use the chat app in Britain.

The Facebook-owned messenger for iOS, Android and desktop will no longer allow people under the age of 16 to use it.

Until recently, WhatsApp had allowed those aged 13 years-old and above to join the messaging service in the UK.

However, on Friday May 25 2018 the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) kicked into force.

The EU’s data privacy laws give the public more rights over how personal information is used and it raises the amount that firms can be fined if they breach it.

As a result, those who do not meet the new minimum age requirement for WhatsApp will no longer be able to use the hugely-popular messaging service.

WhatsApp said that it was not asking for any new rights to collect personal information as part of its updated terms of service.

The company said: "Our goal is simply to explain how we use and protect the limited information we have about you.”

WhatsApp said their update ensured it could "meet the new high standards of transparency for how we protect the privacy of our users".

In the weeks running up to GDPR becoming official on May 25, WhatsApp users reported online that they had been asked in advance to confirm they were over 16.

Any WhatsApp users that did not verify their age before GDPR going live yesterday will have to do so now to continue using the chat app.

More: https://hi247.com.ng/2018/05/27/whatsapp-blocked-millions-of-uk-users-from-accessing-the-chat-app/