betanews : Facebook's privacy-invading WhatsApp user data dipping ends in Europe

Facebook's privacy-invading WhatsApp user data dipping ends in Europe

Facebook has stopped using data collected from WhatsApp users to customize ads in Europe.The move comes after the practice was banned in Germany, and after the UK's Information Commissioner announced an investigation.The social networking giant had already agreed to stop using WhatsApp data from users in the UK, but this has now been extended on a Europe-wide basis.

WhatsApp hits pause on sharing user data in Europe

WhatsApp temporarily stopped sharing data of European users with Facebook, according to media reports, just a week after doing the same in the UK on the request of the Information Commission.Following conversations with European officials, WhatsApp will only use data needed for administrative purposes such as fighting spam, giving regulators a chance to work out all their concerns and give Facebook time to address them."We hope to continue our detailed conversations with the UK Information Commissioner's Office and other data protection officials, and we remain open to working collaboratively to address their questions," the Financial Times quoted Facebook as saying.

WhatsApp suspends giving Facebook European user data

SAN FRANCISCO: WhatsApp has temporarily suspended giving parent company Facebook information about users in Europe for ad targeting, responding to concerns there over privacy, a source close to the matter has said.Conversations with officials in Europe over the past few months resulted in the social network deciding to only tapping into WhatsApp user data there for purposes such as fighting spam, according to the source.The break was described as an effort to give regulators time to share privacy concerns and for Facebook to consider ways to address them.German data protection authorities in September cited privacy concerns when they blocked Facebook from collecting subscriber data from WhatsApp there."It has to be (the users') decision whether they want to connect their account with Facebook," Hamburg 's Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Johannes Caspar said at the time."Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance.

Facebook halts collecting WhatsApp user data across Europe

Facebook has suspended collecting WhatsApp user data across Europe after extreme pressure from EU data protection authorities.The social media giant confirmed it has stopped the use of WhatsApp user data for products and advertising purposes since last week.The move is a result of clashes with European officials over the past month, suggests a Financial Times report.