WhatsApp hit with huge GDPR fine

Date:
Fri, 03 Sep 2021 10:25:21 +0000

Description:
Irish data watchdog argues WhatsApp wasn't transparent about data practices

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Messaging giant WhatsApp has been issued a huge fine for allegedly breaching the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ), but it
could be years before the company actually pays the fine.

Irelands data watchdog, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), fined WhatsApp approximately 225 million ($267 million) for breaching privacy regulations as the final ruling of an investigation that started back in 2018 seeking to uncover if WhatsApp was transparent enough about its data practices.

The punishment is the largest fine ever issued by the DPC, and also the second-highest GDPR fine ever. Heres our list of the best VPN services right now Weve built a list of the best anonymous browsers on the market Check out our list of the best proxy services available

WhatsApp disagrees with the decision, and has already confirmed plans for an appeal, the BBC reported.

"WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service," a company spokesperson told the BBC. "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."
Disagreements over fine height

Under GDPR, a company can be fined up to 4% of its global annual turnover, of 20 million, whichever sum is greater.

Furthermore, under the same regulation, the data watchdog must submit its decision to other national data authorities and apparently, eight other jurisdictions objected to the ruling, including Germany, France and Italy.

Given that Facebook, WhatsApp's owner, has its European headquarters in Ireland, it was the Irish data watchdog that was in charge of the investigation.

While some disagreed about which articles WhatsApp was in breach of, others dont think the fine is properly calculated. Other jurisdictions arent the
only ones objecting to the amount of the fine, the European Data Protection Board also said the Irish DPC should reassess its proposed fine and go for a higher fine amount.

However, as WhatsApp is now set to appeal the ruling, it will probably be years before the final decision is made. Heres our rundown of the best mobile VPNs out there

Via: BBC



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/whatsapp-hit-with-huge-gdpr-fine/


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