A victory for privacy.
Officials in the UK have followed the lead of Germany and ordered Facebook to stop collecting information from WhatsApp about its users.
This comes after WhatsApp started sharing the phone numbers and data analytics of its users with its parent company, so that advertisers would have better access to potential customers.
Now the UK has issued a firm ruling about how businesses can contact users of WhatsApp.
“I had concerns that consumers weren’t being properly protected, and it’s fair to say the enquiries my team have made haven’t changed that view,” Silicon Republic reports Elizabeth Denham, the UK’s information commissioner, as saying.
“I don’t think users have been given enough information about what Facebook plans to do with their information, and I don’t think WhatsApp has got valid consent from users to share the information.
“I also believe users should be given ongoing control over how their information is used, not just a 30-day window.”
As a result, Facebook are pausing the sharing policy until they can better comply with recommendations.
Earlier this year, following the end of the 30-day opt-out period it had given to users, Hamburg officials told Facebook that they must delete all information gathered from users of WhatsApp in Germany.
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