WhatsApp Hit with €55 Million Fine for Privacy Violations

WhatsApp is facing an €55 million privacy-related fine from the European Union’s data protection authority for allegedly violating the region's data protection laws. The fine comes after the EU's data protection authorities started looking into the WhatsApp's privacy policy and its implications since the instant messaging platform was bought by Facebook in 2014. The EU data protection agencies have accused WhatsApp of inappropriately sharing user data with Facebook without providing users a choice to opt-out. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, is yet to make a formal response to the allegations but Facebook has claimed that the cross-company sharing of data meets European data protection law. However, this has been disputed by the EU authorities. The EU said that WhatsApp has failed to properly inform users about its changes in the privacy policy and that its 2018 policy does not comply with EU data protection laws. This led to the EU opening legal action against Facebook, and WhatsApp being fined. The fine is an increase from the €50 million fine Facebook was given back in 2018 for data protection violations. In the past, WhatsApp was also blamed for a number of legal issues related to privacy, including giving users access to user's location data and personal information without clear consent. The WhatsApp fine came after the GDPR enactment which led to a sharp increase in fines issued by the EU's data protection authorities. The fine is one of the largest issued by the EU's authorities, and one of the few of this magnitude to target a tech giant based in the US. The WhatsApp €55 million fine highlights the need for companies to ensure they are following data protection laws, and that users are given clear notice of what data is being collected and shared. Although this investigation predominantly targeted WhatsApp, users of all platforms must be aware of the data protection laws in their region, and what their rights are.

This Cyber News was published on thehackernews.com. Publication date: Mon, 23 Jan 2023 18:57:29 +0000

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