Facebook’s ability to collect user information via WhatsApp has just hit a snag as Germany has order Facebook to cease collection of data from WhatsApp and to delete all information it has already collected.
According to the New York Times, the city of Hamburg’s data protection commissioner, Johannes Caspar, believes that the Facebook’s action requires the user to give them permission in order to collect data from WhatsApp. “It has to be their decision, whether they want to connect their account with Facebook. Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened,” says Caspar. Facebook has since issued a statement, saying that the company has complied with Europe’s privacy rules and that it was willing to work with the regulator to address its concerns.
Facebook first acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for USD19 billion. Back then, Facebook mentioned that it would never sell “personally identifiable information” from users or otherwise chage the app’s privacy policy. This changed last month as it announced that WhatsApp would share phone numbers, profile data, status messages and more with Facebook, causing a small backlash from users of the messaging app.
Source: The New York Times, Engadget