TL; DR
- WhatsApp has been punished with a record fine for violating data protection and data protection laws in the EU.
- It is the highest fine ever imposed by the Irish regulator.
- The messaging platform will appeal the “disproportionate fine”.
In a record fine against Facebook’s own messaging service WhatsApp, EU regulators have asked the company to pay 225 million euros (~ $ 267 million) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.
WhatsApp’s heavy fine was imposed courtesy of the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the leading data protection regulator for Facebook in the EU region. In a detailed summary of its order, the DPC said WhatsApp had failed to provide its users with adequate information about how the company shares information with Facebook and its affiliates.
The messaging platform has been instructed to update its privacy policy to ensure that users are aware of data sharing practices. The Irish regulator has also reprimanded WhatsApp, asking it to take “a number of specified remedial actions”.
The initial fine for WhatsApp should be 50 million euros. However, it was later revised to € 225 million after other data protection authorities called for a higher fine.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has described the fine as “completely disproportionate”.
“WhatsApp strives to provide a safe and private service. We have worked to ensure that the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so, ”said a spokesman The edge.
The service will appeal the DPC’s decision and the case is expected to remain in Irish courts for years.
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