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| Facebook is facing German attempts to prevent WhatsApp data collection |
One of Germany's most powerful data supervisory bodies aims to put in place an enforcement regulation to prevent Facebook from collecting user data from WhatsApp.
Fearing that the policy change will lead to the use of WhatsApp data for wider marketing and advertising purposes, the Hamburg city regulator is looking for an order that can be implemented immediately before May 15th.
Data Commissioner Johannes Kaspar said in a statement on Tuesday: "Today, nearly 60 million people in Germany use WhatsApp, by far the most popular social media platform, even before Facebook."
“So it is important to ensure that the large number of users that make the service attractive to many people does not lead to arbitrary use of data capacity,” he added.
After confusion and user comments forced the messaging service to provide a better explanation of the data it collects and how this information could be shared with the parent company, WhatsApp postponed the introduction of a new privacy policy earlier this year.
The UK's largest data protection agency told lawmakers in January that millions of people were no longer using WhatsApp to support alternative messaging services like Telegram and Signal.
Facebook said in a statement: Facebook is reviewing messages from the Hamburg regulator, has resolved the regulator's misunderstanding about the purpose and impact of the update, and continues to work to provide secure private communications for the entire world.
Facebook added: To clarify, by agreeing to the updated WhatsApp Terms of Service, users do not accept an extension of our ability to share data with Facebook, and the update does not affect the privacy of messages with their friends or family members. Scientist.
"The company has the ability to respond to the public. The actual transaction between WhatsApp and Facebook has not been monitored and reviewed yet," the organizer said.
He added: There is reason to believe that, in the absence of voluntary and informed consent, regulations that could facilitate and expand the exchange of data between WhatsApp and Facebook are being applied illegally.
German regulatory agencies have opened formal courts to prevent the illegal sharing of group data and to remove pressure from illegal consent from millions of people.
The regulatory action opened a new front in Facebook's privacy policy in Germany. The National Competition Regulatory Authority is embroiled in a lawsuit over data practices reflecting abuse of dominance in the social networking marketplace.