Huge fine slapped on Whatsapp by data protection watchdog

By Lili Lonergan
Published 2nd Sep 2021, 13:09 GMT
Huge fine slapped on Whatsapp by data protection watchdogplaceholder image
Huge fine slapped on Whatsapp by data protection watchdog

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed its largest ever fine on the popular messaging service, WhatsApp Ireland, to the tune of €225m.

The DPC, which acts as the lead supervisory authority for WhatsApp across Europe, announced today that following a lengthy and comprehensive investigation, WhatsApp Ireland, had infringed on data protection rules.

The investigation, launched in 2018, examined whether WhatsApp had met its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with regards to the transparency of information to both users and non-users of the service. This included the transparency of information provided to its users about the processing of their data and personal information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies. placeholder image
The investigation, launched in 2018, examined whether WhatsApp had met its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with regards to the transparency of information to both users and non-users of the service. This included the transparency of information provided to its users about the processing of their data and personal information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies. 

This is the largest fine ever imposed by the DPC, however, WhatsApp has defended its position:

"We have worked to ensure the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so. We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate. We will appeal this decision," said a spokesperson for WhatsApp.

In addition to the fine, the DPC has also imposed a reprimand along with an order for WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking a range of specified remedial actions.

Related topics:WhatsApp
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