Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found problems with the way WhatsApp communicates its privacy practices to users. Facebook says it plans to appeal the decision.
WhatsApp is facing a €225 million (approximately $267 million) fine in Europe for violating the region’s GDPR privacy laws. On Friday, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission announced the penalty, the highest fine it’s ever issued. The regulator began scrutinizing the Facebook-owned WhatsApp back in 2018 over whether its privacy policies have been clear enough. The ensuing investigation was extremely extensive, covering technical aspects to how WhatsApp collects, stores, and shares users’ data and if it’s communicating those policies to the public. According to Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, WhatsApp did break GDPR obligations under article 13 and article 12, which cover a user’s right to be informed about how their data is processed and making those practices available « in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form.
