Last updated: February 16, 2024
WhatsApp Channels is one of the “Business Services” provided to you and the company or business that you are authorized to represent (“you,” “your,” or “Company”) by WhatsApp as defined in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service. These Supplemental Terms of Service for WhatsApp Business Channels (the “Supplemental Terms”) supplement the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, and together, apply to your use of Channels. The terms and conditions of the Supplemental Terms will take precedence and apply to your use of Channels. Nothing in these Supplemental Terms limits any of our rights under the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service or any additional terms or policies they reference.
Channels is a one-to-many broadcast service that allows you to view and interact with relevant and timely updates shared by other WhatsApp users. You can create a Channel to share updates, that anyone can discover, follow, and view. The content that you share on Channels will be visible to WhatsApp and our users. We may also list Channels that you may be interested in following based on your country or local language. Learn more about how we recommend channels here.
You must access and use Channels only for legal, authorized, and acceptable purposes. Channel admins are responsible for the content on their Channels and are required to maintain an age-appropriate and safe experience for their followers.
Channel admins must not engage in activity that violates these Supplemental Terms, the WhatsApp Channels Guidelines, or other terms and policies that apply to your use of our Business Services including but not limited to the Acceptable Use of Our Business Services provision in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service and WhatsApp Commerce Policy. This includes:
WhatsApp otherwise does not control what users do or say on Channels, and we are not responsible for their (or your) actions or conduct (whether online or offline), or content (including illegal or objectionable content). You can learn more about the restrictions we may impose on the use of Channels, including information on how we apply our policies, procedures, measures and tools here.
WhatsApp users can report any Channel or specific update that potentially violates their rights or our terms and policies. You can learn more about how to report and block on WhatsApp here.
WhatsApp may remove, prevent sharing of, or limit access to any content or information shared on Channels: that violates our terms or policies (including the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, these Supplemental Terms, and the WhatsApp Channels Guidelines); where we are permitted or required to do so by law; or if we determine that doing so is reasonably necessary to avoid or mitigate adverse legal or regulatory impacts to WhatsApp. We may also remove or restrict access to certain features, disable or suspend an account, or contact law enforcement to protect our Business Services and our users. We may work with third-party service providers, including Meta Companies, to ensure security, safety, and integrity across WhatsApp, as described in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service. Learn more about how we address repeated violations of our terms and policies, including the WhatsApp Channels Guidelines here; and how we may suspend access to Channels for repeatedly posting illegal content here.
WhatsApp further reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate your access to the entire Business Service, consistent with the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service. While we aim to apply our policies consistently across all jurisdictions, in some jurisdictions there may be specific requirements under applicable laws which require varying applications of enforcement.
Where WhatsApp takes such action, we will let you know and explain any options you have to request a review, unless doing so may expose us or others to legal liability; harm our community of users; compromise or interfere with the integrity or operation of any of our Services; we are restricted due to technical limitations; and/or we are prohibited from doing so for legal reasons. Learn more about our Complaints Handling Process here.
We need certain permissions from you to provide Channels. The license you grant us in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service includes the content that you share on WhatsApp Channels and the intellectual property rights therein and among other things, allows us to display and perform (including to the public) that content for the purpose of operating and providing our Business Services, including WhatsApp Channels.
In addition to the “Other Information” set out in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, WhatsApp collects, stores, and uses information such as: (a) information to create a Channel, such as basic information, including a name for the Channel, picture, description or links to third party sites; (b) content on Channels that admins create or share publicly on Channels, such as text, videos, photos, images, documents, links, gifs, stickers, audio content, polls or other types of content in their Channel updates for others to view; (c) information about followers, viewers and other connections, including their reactions, language choices, and the Channels they follow; (d) information about your use of Channels, such as your activity on Channels, the content you view and how you interact with it; (e) service-related, diagnostic, and performance information; and (f) information related to user reports, in order to to provide Channels, ensure the safety, integrity, and security of Channels, and to develop, improve, understand, customize, support, and market Channels and our other Business Services and services.
The functionality and/or performance of Channels may change over time. We may introduce new features, impose limits on, suspend, eliminate, change, restrict access, or update certain existing features or any part of Channels. We may offer limited versions of Channels, and these versions may have limited features or contain other limitations. We may discontinue Channels or any part of Channels at any time consistent with Section 12 of the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service. If a Channels feature or content is no longer available, the information, data, or content created or provided by you in connection with such feature or content may be deleted or become inaccessible.
We are constantly working to improve our Business Services and develop new features to make our products even better for you and our community. Therefore, we may need to update these Supplemental Terms from time to time. We will provide you notice of material amendments to our Supplemental Terms, as appropriate, and update the “Effective Date” at the top of our Supplemental Terms. To the extent that we are required by applicable law to notify you in advance of implementing these changes (e.g., as set forth in the Platform Regulation), we will provide sufficient advance notice. Your continued use of Channels following the effective date confirms your acceptance of our Supplemental Terms, as amended.
We hope you will continue using Channels, but if you do not agree to our Supplemental Terms, as amended, you must stop using Channels.
If any provision of these Supplemental Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed amended to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and if it cannot be made enforceable, then it shall be deemed severable from these Supplemental Terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of these Supplemental Terms, the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, or any additional terms or policies they reference, which will remain in full force and effect.
You and us agree to resolve all disputes arising out of or relating to these Supplemental Terms or the Channels service in accordance with the Governing Law and Venue provision in the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service in effect at the time that you or us commence the claim.