The German data regulator issued a ban today to prohibit Facebook from collecting WhatsApp German users data.
The head of the Hamburg State Data Protection Agency, Johannes Caspar, issued a three-month emergency ban. In addition, Casper also asked a group of EU data regulators to take action and issue a ruling in 27 member states.
What Changes Bring WhatsApp New Privacy Policy
According to the revised new privacy policy, WhatsApp will share more data with Facebook, such as phone numbers, service-related information, IP addresses, and transaction data. Earlier this year, WhatsApp postponed the introduction of a new privacy policy. And though there have been some concerns that Facebook may delete those accounts that don’t accept the new terms, recently, it said that users will still be able to use WhatsApp. But we guess the functionality of the app will be limited. Moreover, WhatsApp users can accept the terms later. Before that, they will still get messages and calls. But this wouldn’t last forever.
Gizchina News of the week
‘For the last several weeks we’ve displayed a notification in WhatsApp providing more information about the update. After giving everyone time to review, we’re continuing to remind those who haven’t had the chance to do so to review and accept. After a period of several weeks, the reminder people receive will eventually become persistent.’
Germany Doesn’t Allow WhatsApp To Share Users Data
The Hamburg State Data Protection Agency said it would seek to block users data sharing between WhatsApp and Facebook. Casper said today that the new WhatsApp terms are invalid because they are opaque, inconsistent, and too broad.
Casper said in a statement: ‘The purpose of this order is to protect the rights and freedoms of many millions of users across Germany, who give their consent to the terms of use. It is important to prevent the loss and damage associated with such a black box process.’
WhatsApp responded saying that Casper’s statement was wrong. Also, it added that the ban would not prevent the introduction of the new terms. In email, it said: ‘The actions of the German regulator are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effects of this update.’
Earlier this month, WhatsApp published an article on “Privacy and Security” on its official website. It urges users to accept the latest account policies and updated terms before May 15. Casper said that Facebook may have been collecting users data incorrectly. And that it is important to prevent misuse of this information to influence the September German election.
