Spanish privacy fine for WhatsApp

-

MADRID (ANP)- The Spanish privacy watchdog AEPD has imposed a total of 600,000 euros on WhatsApp and parent company Facebook for abuse of data from users. The regulator speaks of serious breaches of privacy.

Message app WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014. Initially, WhatsApp users were promised that their data would not be shared with Facebook, but in August 2016 it became clear that this would happen anyway. WhatsAppers received new terms of use and had to agree to continue using the app.

The AEPD states that the sharing of data by WhatsApp with Facebook is contrary to Spanish and European rules. Facebook then went into error by using the data without explicit permission from users.