WhatsApp is facing a stormy reaction since it announced that it wants to update its privacy policy with changes that will allow Facebook to consolidate all the data of its users in all its services. The German privacy regulator has launched a procedure that wants to prevent WhatsApp in its plans to update its privacy policy.
Johannes Caspar, the data protection and freedom of information commissioner from Hamburg is trying to prevent Facebook from collecting data from WhatsApp, fearing that the company could use it to expand its marketing and advertising business.
Caspar said in a statement:
“There is currently reason to believe that data sharing provisions between WhatsApp and Facebook are being illegally enforced due to a lack of voluntary and informed user consent. To prevent illegal mass data sharing and put an end to illegal pressure on the consent of millions of users, a formal data protection procedure has now been launched “.
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The goal is for the decision to be made before May 15, which is the date when users must accept the new privacy policy or (probably) stop using WhatsApp. It is very possible that this order applies only to users in Germany, but there is still hope that the procedure will be understood as a basis for other countries and regulators.
The Hamburg commissioner previously successfully implemented a similar order against Facebook four and a half years ago, due to the update of the terms of use of WhatsApp and changes related to the exchange of information in Facebook companies.
The order was confirmed by two instances despite the fact that Facebook legally tried to fight against that decision, and the exchange of data between Facebook and WhatsApp has since been more limited in the EU than in other regions.
