WhatsApp fined hundreds of millions for violating privacy
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been fined 225 million euro by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) for breaching the European Union’s GDPR rules introduced to protect citizens’ privacy. WhatsApp was accused of not being transparent enough about how it handled personal data.
The GDPR rules are valid in all EU member countries. Facebook, that has its European headquarters in Ireland, said it will appeal.
The DPC has originally proposed a lower fine but European Data Protection Board was not satisfied which now led to WhatsApp being fines 225 million euro.
“On 28 July 2021, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted a binding decision and this decision was notified to the DPC. This decision contained a clear instruction that required the DPC to reassess and increase its proposed fine on the basis of a number of factors contained in the EDPB’s decision and following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euro on WhatsApp”, DPC says in a statement.
“In addition to the imposition of an administrative fine, the DPC has also imposed a reprimand along with an order for WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking a range of specified remedial actions.”
The European Consumer Organisation, BEUC, and eight of its members have filed a complaint against WhatsApp for multiple breaches of EU consumer rights. The complaint was submitted to the European Commission and the European network of consumer authorities.
“For several months now, WhatsApp has been unduly pressuring its users to accept its new terms of use and privacy policy. Yet these terms are neither transparent nor comprehensible for users”, BEUC said.
BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said: “WhatsApp has been bombarding users for months with aggressive and persistent pop-up messages to force them to accept its new terms of use and privacy policy. They’ve been telling users that their access to their app will be cut off if they do not accept the new terms.”
“Yet consumers don’t know what they’re actually accepting. WhatsApp has been deliberately vague about this and consumers would be exposed to far reaching data processing without valid consent. That’s why we’re calling on the authorities to take swift action against WhatsApp to ensure that it respects consumer rights”.
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