German regulator bans Facebook from processing WhatsApp consumer knowledge

BERLIN :
Germany’s lead knowledge safety regulator for Facebook is banning the social community from processing private knowledge from WhatsApp customers as a result of it views the messaging app’s new phrases of use as unlawful, it mentioned on Tuesday.

The choice follows emergency proceedings opened by the regulator within the city-state of Hamburg final month after WhatsApp required customers to consent to new phrases or cease utilizing the service.

“This order seeks to secure the rights and freedoms of the many millions of users who give their consent to the terms of use throughout Germany,” Hamburg’s knowledge safety officer Johannes Caspar mentioned.

“My objective is to prevent disadvantages and damages associated with such a black-box procedure.”

Caspar, who leads home oversight of Facebook below Germany’s federal system as its nation workplace is in Hamburg, introduced his choice earlier than a May 15 deadline for consenting to WhatsApp’s new phrases.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, mentioned the motion by the Hamburg knowledge safety authority rested on a elementary misunderstanding of the aim and impact of its replace and subsequently had no official foundation.

“As the Hamburg DPA’s claims are wrong, the order will not impact the continued roll-out of the update. We remain fully committed to delivering secure and private communications for everyone,” a WhatsApp spokesperson mentioned.

The regulatory motion has opened a brand new entrance in Germany over Facebook’s privateness insurance policies, with its nationwide antitrust regulator waging a authorized battle over knowledge practices it says quantity to an abuse of market dominance.

Since 2018, on-line privateness has been topic to a European Union rulebook, referred to as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under the GDPR, Ireland leads oversight of Facebook as a result of the corporate’s European headquarters is there.

Caspar mentioned he was utilizing his energy to impose a three-month freeze on Facebook’s assortment of WhatsApp consumer knowledge below extraordinary powers foreseen within the GDPR.

He mentioned he would additionally search an EU-wide ruling on the European Data Protection Board, a discussion board that teams regulators from the bloc’s 27 member states.

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