[German]There are signs of a "business change" at WhatsApp, the Meta subsidiary. In the past, WhatsApp didn't care about the EU when it came to data protection and wanted to force users to agree to the transfer of data to Facebook. WhatsApp agrees now to comply with EU regulations, not to forward data to third parties or Facebook for advertising purposes, and to generally become more transparent.
Advertising
After lengthy discussions with the EU consumer protection authorities and the European Commission (CPC network), WhatsApp committed to more transparency when making changes to its terms of use. The following tweet addresses what Reuters announced in this article and what the EU Commission announced in this notice: WhatsApp wants to play by EU rules in the future, making it easier for users to opt out of updates to its terms of service if users don't agree with the changes.
In addition, the company will clearly explain when such a rejection of the terms of use will lead to the services of WhatsApp can no longer be used.
No data transfer to third parties
The most serious innovation for me: WhatsApp confirms to the EU Commission that the personal data of users will not be passed on to third parties or other meta-companies – including Facebook – for advertising purposes. This had previously been rejected by WhatsApp.
It took a long time dialog with WhatsApp
The dialogue with WhatsApp was coordinated by the Swedish Consumer Protection Authority and the Irish Competition and Consumer Commission (CPC) and supported by the EU Commission. WhatsApp was first contacted by the CPC in January 2022 after the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and eight of its member associations raised the alarm about alleged unfair practices related to WhatsApp's updates to its terms of service and privacy policy.
Advertising
In June 2022, the CPC Network sent a second letter to WhatsApp reiterating its demand that consumers be clearly informed about WhatsApp's business model and, in particular, whether WhatsApp derives revenue from commercial actions related to users' personal data. Following discussions between the CPC Network, the Commission and WhatsApp, the company confirmed that it does not share users' personal data for advertising purposes.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said, "I welcome WhatsApp's commitments to change its practices to comply with EU rules, to actively inform users about contract changes and to respect their choices instead of asking them every time they open the app. Consumers have a right to understand what they're agreeing to and what that decision means specifically so they can decide whether to continue using the platform."
These are the commitments WhatsApp has made
In future policy updates, WhatsApp will:
- explain what changes it plans to make to users' contracts and how those might affect their rights;
- clearly highlight the possibility of rejecting updated terms of service, as well as the possibility of accepting them
WhatsApp also intends to ensure that notifications of updates can be rejected, or that the review of updates can be postponed. WhatsApp will respect the choice of users and will refrain from sending recurring notifications. The latter is also an important component, as WhatsApp was annoying in the past with repeated notifications that required confirmation in the app, so that users were coerced into accepting them.
Similar articles
Some Banks will be fined by SEC with millions for WhatsApp and Messenger use
WhatsApp leak: Nearly 500 million user data offered in underground forum (Nov. 2022)
GDPR: WhatsApp fined with 225 million Euro
Bye bye WhatsApp: Swiss Army uses Threema
Why you should quit WhatsApp
Anti trust probe against Facebook due to WhatsApp/Instagram acquisition
Advertising
