Facebook Halts Collection of WhatsApp User Data Across Europe

[MacRumors]

Facebook has temporarily halted the collection of WhatsApp user data across Europe after pressure from privacy watchdogs, according to the Financial Times. The move follows news last week that the social media company, which owns the popular chat platform, agreed to pause data collection in the U.K. while a government probe there inquired into WhatsApp's privacy policy.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner's office, which acts as Facebook's European regulatory body, confirmed to FT that the company had suspended European data collection since last week.

The change in data gathering means that WhatsApp users across Europe will no longer have select information shared with Facebook, including the phone number a user verifies during the registration process and the last time a user accessed the service.

Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, but only began collecting data from users of the chat service in August this year. In September, German authorities ordered a halt to the practice in the country after ruling that it was an infringement of national data protection law.

Last month, pan-European privacy watchdogs signed an open letter to WhatsApp saying they had serious concerns over the privacy policy change, and urged Facebook to pause data collection until appropriate legal protections could be assured.

Article Link: Facebook Halts Collection of WhatsApp User Data Across Europe

 

[Pakaku]

How about we permanently stop collecting data, worldwide? Thanks

 

[The Mercurian]

How about we permanently stop collecting data, worldwide? Thanks

Only then will I sign back up to it

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Where are all the fire Zuckerberg comments.

 

[MacBH928]

Die Facebook Die

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Where are all the fire Zuckerberg comments.

Fire Zuckerberg!

 

[LordQ]

Die Facebook Die

I couldn't agree more and couldn't help to think on this as well

 

[Glassed Silver]

Doesn't the overwhelming majority of people who use WA have unlimited texts by now with their contracts or hell even PAYG cards?

I get that for media MMS is more on the expensive side, but jolly God I don't see the appeal after the whole encryption debacle and now the Facebook takeover.

Plenty of better alternatives out there that are cross-platform.

Of course, if Apple truly cared about people's privacy as much as they say they would open iMessage to other platforms already and give Android users (and therefore their iOS friends) a much better way of communicating easily and maybe not ultimately secure, but still much better than using Zuckertexts...

Can't sell individual texts though, so... no Android app for you!

Glassed Silver:ios

 

[C DM]

How about we permanently stop collecting data, worldwide? Thanks

And pay for pretty much all services. Lots of people are certainly going to be simply ecstatic about that.

 

[cerberusss]

How about we permanently stop collecting data, worldwide? Thanks

Fat chance.

As I understood it, in Europe the data about you is considered yours. In the USA, it's considered company property. That's such a difference in perspective that I don't see how the tide could be turned.

In the wake of the Snowden revelations, I had expected things would turn around, but I don't think they did.

 

[weckart]

Doesn't the overwhelming majority of people who use WA have unlimited texts by now with their contracts or hell even PAYG cards?

More or less, yes. Not MMS, however, which is pricey and that is where WA shines. I find it handy to send pics to people when I am out shopping and spot something they might like.

Hard to switch to Telegram etc when no one is using it.

 

[Glassed Silver]

More or less, yes. Not MMS, however, which is pricey and that is where WA shines. I find it handy to send pics to people when I am out shopping and spot something they might like.

Hard to switch to Telegram etc when no one is using it.

Just force the switch.

I never signed up for WA/I did on my old number, but left the account to rot.

If you want to catch me, there's plenty of ways. Oh and you can send media via email, everyone has an address, it's cross platform and if you're not on POP you even get the pictures rather quickly.

I mean, I get that not everyone feels like practically burdening themselves with inconvenience by boycotting WA, but I just don't get why it still has this practically uncontested market share when we already know how terrible it is and Europeans tend to be a lot more concerned about privacy.

Oh well.

Glassed Silver:win