Saturday 13 May 2017

WhatsApp Fined More Than £2.5 Million For Sharing Data With Facebook

WhatsApp

WhatsApp was taken over by Facebook in 2014 and two years later, it introduced a new terms of service that gave Facebook access to WhatsApp users’ data.

All of the 28 European Union data protection authorities asked WhatsApp to stop sharing users’ data with Facebook because of doubts over the validity of users’ consent.

A spokesman for WhatsApp said: “We're reviewing the decision and we look forward to responding to officials.”

The maximum fine is £4.24 million that the Italian agency could have enforced.

When WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook, it told its users: “Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little as possible.”

Italy’s antitrust regulator said that the opportunity for WhatsApp users to refuse the handover of data to Facebook was available `but it was inadequately flagged’.”

The Italian watchdog said other aspects of the hugely popular WhatsApp were unfair, such as the unexplained interruptions to service and only the provider being able to stop the agreement.

The German authorities banned Facebook from collecting information on its WhatsApp users in the country after it was found to have breached data protection laws.

The regulator launched an investigation into the issue last year.

When the investigation was first opened, a WhatsApp spokeswoman said the company was working with data protection authorities to sort out any issues and would respect the law.

WhatsApp is used by around one billion people in 180 countries and has been at the centre of a privacy issue since it was acquired by Facebook in 2014.

The service aims to provide a fast, simple and secure messaging service for free all over the world.

The US-based mobile messaging service has recently enjoyed success with its video call function.


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