EU: WhatsApp hasn’t resolved data sharing concerns

According to Reuters, the Irish competition regulator confirmed WhatsApp has still not proposed measures to settle European data sharing concerns. WhatsApp was suppose to propose measures to address EU regulator concerns over its sharing of user data with parent company Facebook.

The popular messaging service changed its privacy policy over a year ago to start sharing users’ phone numbers and other information with Facebook. That drew widespread regulatory scrutiny across Europe, and WhatsApp subsequently suspended the data sharing for EU users.

The concerns stem from when Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014. Soon after the messaging app modified its terms of service, informing users it would share their data with its new parent. That did not sit well with European watchdogs and the move spurred a number of regulatory actions against Facebook in Europe.

The Irish data protection authority the DPC has jurisdiction over Facebook because the company’s European headquarters are in Dublin and said last April it hoped to reach a deal with WhatsApp on the data sharing in a matter of months.

Full Content: Reuters

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