WhatsApp fined Rs 1,950 crore for violating EU privacy law
In a major shock to Facebook-owned messenger WhatsApp, the European Union has imposed a fine of 225 million euros, or about Rs 1,950 crore, for violating the data privacy policy.
According to The Verge, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced the decision in an 89-page summary. Given that WhatsApp did not properly inform EU citizens about how it handles their personal data, including how it shares that information with its parent company. WhatsApp has been ordered to update its already lengthy privacy policy and change how it informs users about sharing their data.
"This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies," the Irish regulator said in a statement.
This will bring it into compliance with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which regulates how tech companies collect and use data in the EU, the report said. The GDPR came into force in May 2018 and WhatsApp was one of the first companies to file privacy lawsuits under the regulation.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said in an email that the company would appeal against the decision. "We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. "We have worked to ensure that the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so. We disagree with today's decision regarding the transparency provided to the public in 2018," he said.
The DPC's decision began with an investigation in 2018 and is the second-largest penalty to be imposed under GDPR rules. In July this year, Amazon was fined a record $887 million for violating EU privacy laws.
Source : DNA India
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